Myth Beyond Heaven



2222 Treachery

Yun Lintian pretended to grit his teeth, fighting to maintain control. He could feel Qing Shui's residual soul probing his defenses, secking a way to infiltrate his body.

A sinister smile spread across Qing Shui's spectral face as he witnessed Yun Lintian's struggle. "Give up, young one," he taunted. "Your body is mine now."

"Really?" Yun Lintian's pailful expression gradually turned into amusement.

A surge of azure-colored light erupted from Yun Lintian's body. The Dragon God Soul within him roared, its power surging outward like a tidal wave.

Roar!

"You...!" Qing Shui exclaimed, his voice filled with shock and rage. His entire soul trembled uncontrollably under the dragon's might.

The water in the pool churned violently as the two souls clashed, their power shaking the very foundations of the cavern. Yun Lintian's body glowed with the azure radiance, his eyes blazing with divine light.

With a mighty roar, the Dragon God Soul unleashed its full power, tearing through Qing Shui's defenses like a hot knife through butter.

Qing Shui's spectral form flickered and wavered, his voice filled with despair. "No...this is impossible!"

Yun Lintian sneered, "Did you really think such a petty trick could fool me?' His voice resonated with a chilling echo throughout the cavern. "Now, tell me the truth. What happened to you? How did you meet your demise?"

Qing Shui's residual soul quivered, a mixture of fear and indignation contorting his spectral face. "You...you dare threaten me?" he sputtered, though his voice lacked its former confidence.

"Threaten you?" Yun Lintian scoffed. "I'm not threatening you. I'm giving you a choice. Tell me the truth, and I might consider letting you dissipate peacefully. Refuse, and I'll make sure your existence is utterly erased."

Qing Shui hesitated, his spectral form flickering uncertainly. The Dragon God Soul's power pressed down on him, a suffocating weight that threatened to crush his very essence.

"Very well," Qing Shui finally relented, his voice a mere whisper. "I'll tell you."

He began to recount the events that led to his downfall. In his prime, Qing Shui had been a renowned cultivator, a genius who soared through the ranks of the cultivation world. His arrogance grew with his power, leading him to challenge the authority of the True Gods in the Holy Lands.

He had stumbled upon a forbidden secret, a truth that the True Gods sought to conceal. Blinded by his ambition, Qing Shui sought to exploit this knowledge for his own gain, unaware of the dire consequences that awaited him.

The True Gods, enraged by his insolence, descended upon him with their wrath. Their combined power overwhelmed Qing Shui, shattering his body and scattering his soul across the realms.

"I was foolish," Qing Shui admitted, his voice laced with regret. "I underestimated their power and paid the ultimate price."

"What was this forbidden secret you discovered?" Yun Lintian inquired, his curiosity piqued. Qing Shui hesitated, his spectral form flickering once more. "I cannot tell you," he said. "The True Gods have forbidden it. If I reveal it, my soul will be eternally damned."

Yun Lintian chuckled darkly. "Eternally damned? You're already a residual soul clinging to a sliver of existence. What more could they possibly do to you?"

Qing Shui remained silent, his spectral form trembling with fear.

"Tell me the secret," Yun Lintian commanded, his voice hardening. 'Or suffer the consequences." A wave of the Dragon God Soul's power washed over Qing Shui, intensifying the pressure on his fragile existence. The spectral form writhed in agony, its screams echoing through the cavern. "Alright! Alright!" Qing Shui cried out, his voice barely audible. "I'll tell you."

He took a deep breath, his spectral form flickering erratically. "The True Gods... they are not what they seem," he began, his voice barely a whisper. "They are not benevolent beings, but rather... parasites."

Yun Lintian's eyes widened in surprise. "Parasites?"

Qing Shui nodded, his spectral form growing dimmer with each word he uttered. "They feed on the spiritual energy of the realms, draining them of their vitality. They maintain their power by suppressing the cultivation of others, ensuring that they remain the dominant force in the Primal Chaos."

Yun Lintian listened in stunned silence, his mind reeling from the implications of Qing Shui's revelation.

"But how could the Primordial Gods allow this?" Yun Lintian pressed, curiosity gnawing at him. Qing Shui's voice crackled with repressed rage. "Do you think they'd dare act without powerful backing?"

The implication struck Yun Lintian like a physical blow. The Primordial Gods? But those he'd encountered - the Scholar God, the others from the tower - they hadn't seemed capable of such treachery. Was there a misunderstanding?

"True Gods wield immense power already," Yun Lintian admitted, struggling to comprehend the motive behind such treachery. "Why would they crave even more energy?"

A deep sadness clouded Qing Shui's eyes. "Because I delved too deeply into the truth, he rasped, attempting to cast himself in a virtuous light.

Yun Lintian remained unconvinced. "All the True Gods over there?" he pressed.

Qing Shui shook his head, his voice trembling. "No, only... only a faction. Ten god clans, to be precise."

Mid-sentence, Qing Shui's expression contorted in terror. A desperate cry tore from his lips, "Save me!"

A golden rune, intricate and radiant, materialized within the azure glow of the pool. It pulsed with a divine power, ancient and overwhelming. Yun Lintian immediately recognized the rune's

origin - it bore the mark of a True God

"This is... a soul sea." Yun Lintian said with a frown. The rune was a trap, to silence those who dared to speak against the True Gods.

mechanism designed

Qing Shui's spectral form thrashed wildly, his essence rapidly disintegrating under the rune's relentless power. "Ilelp me! Please!" he begged, his voice filled with desperation and terror.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Yun Lintian's eyes narrowed, his resolve hardening. He could not allow Qing Shui's knowledge to be lost. With a surge of spiritual energy, he unleashed the full might of the Dragon God Soul, attempting to shatter the rune and free Qing Shui from its grasp.

A titanic struggle ensued, the cavern trembling under the clash of divine powers. The Dragon God Soul roared, its azure light clashing against the golden rune's radiant glow.

But despite his efforts, Yun Lintian could not break through the rune's defenses. The True God's power was simply too great, their mastery of the soul arts beyond his current comprehension. Qing Shui's spectral form grew increasingly transparent, his voice weakening with each passing moment. "No... I don't want to die..."

With a final flicker, Qing Shui's soul shattered into countless fragments, scattered into the ether, forever lost to the void...

!

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