The clouds that hung above the world these past months had finally parted.
In a secluded courtyard built atop a celestial cliff, the last light of dusk painted the sky in hues of gold and violet. Wind rustled the trees gently, carrying the scent of blooming spiritual flowers. Laughter echoed among the stone walls of the old celestial manor—a haven they had temporarily taken as their refuge.
Inside, a wide wooden table groaned under the weight of dishes: glistening peach-roasted pork, lotus seed buns, steaming fish caught from the glowing river nearby, and fruit wine poured into warm porcelain cups.
Longxuan was leaning against the railing of the open-air balcony, holding a cup with his sleeve half-falling from his shoulder. "Tonight," he said, raising his drink, "we toast to a well-earned victory. To love, life, and kicking divine ass!"
Fenglan dramatically clinked his own drink against it, already half-drunk. "To Tianzun! Who summoned a damn sky serpent and made Liu Shengjie eat his own regrets!"
Mo Tianzun—white-haired again, no longer hiding—sat with one leg lazily bent on the bench beside Longxuan, his wine untouched. A small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "That's... not exactly how it went."
"But close!" added Zhenhai, finally smiling after days of tension.
Huayin and Shuiyun sat nearby, content in each other's quiet company. Jiang Fenglie raised his cup with a small, rare grin. "Surprisingly, I lived to toast again."
The group burst into lighthearted laughter.
Tianzun, for once, allowed himself to enjoy it. His fingers brushed Longxuan's when they exchanged a dish. The warmth of the prince's smile made his heartbeat slow, calmed the storm that had become his soul.
Just for tonight—he could pretend peace wasn't fleeting.
Just for tonight.
.
.
.
.
But Peace, Like Mist, Never Stays.
The next morning, as dew still clung to petals and the courtyard remained steeped in quiet, Shuiyun returned from his early scouting patrol, expression grim.
"You're all going to want to hear this," he said.
They gathered quickly—Tianzun, Longxuan, the Liu twins, Fenglie, Huayin. The joy from last night evaporated in an instant.
Shuiyun hesitated. "The imperial messengers have just arrived. News from the capital."
Longxuan stood straighter. "What happened?"
Shuiyun's voice was low. "Liu Shengjie escaped his prison cell last night."
A beat of stunned silence.
Fenglan blinked. "What—wait, escaped? I thought his cultivation was sealed?"
Zhenhai's jaw tightened. "That's not possible."
"There's more," Shuiyun added. "Less than a day after... his body was discovered in the east wing of the Temple of Punishment. A suicide, they claim."
Longxuan's brows furrowed. "That fast? He escapes, then kills himself?"
Mo Tianzun's cup slipped from his fingers.
It shattered on the stone floor.
Everyone turned.
His voice was quiet, but carried weight. "No."
Longxuan looked at him. "...You don't believe it?"
Tianzun's gaze was hard now, his silver-white hair catching the morning light like frost.
"Liu Shengjie... would never kill himself."
Fenglie rubbed the bridge of his nose. "But there was a body. The High Priests identified it. Stab wound to the chest. Eyes gouged out. The markings of guilt, they said."
Tianzun narrowed his eyes. "No. Those are the markings of message. Warning. Liu Shengjie was a manipulator, a strategist... but also a coward when it came to true pain. He didn't die. Someone killed him—and made it look like a final act."
The air grew heavier.
Huayin's fox ears twitched. "Then we're not done."
Longxuan turned to Shuiyun. "Was there anything else? Anything odd?"
Shuiyun hesitated. "There was a report. A girl—dressed in crimson. Veiled face. She was seen entering the temple grounds the night before."
Mo Tianzun's expression sharpened. He stood slowly.
"She moved like shadow," Shuiyun added. "One of the imperial guards went mad from seeing her. He claimed she 'spoke without speaking' and smelled of grave soil and roses."
Zhenhai whispered, "A cultivator?"
"No ordinary one," Tianzun murmured. "Someone worse. Someone with... authority over deities."
—————
Whispers in the Wind
That evening, while the rest of the group debated their next steps, Tianzun sat beneath the plum tree outside the manor. Longxuan joined him in silence, their shoulders brushing.
"She made it personal," Tianzun whispered.
Longxuan looked at him sideways. "You think she's the one who killed Shengjie?"
"I think... she's the one pulling the strings now. Shengjie was a pawn."
Longxuan gently touched Tianzun's hand. "Then we face her next."
Tianzun looked up. "You say that so easily."
"Because I'm not afraid. Not when I have you."
The wind rustled the branches overhead. A single blossom fell, landing in Tianzun's palm.
He held it tightly.
—————
A New Name in the Darkness
Far away, in a hidden chamber lit by blood-torches, the veiled woman sat on a throne of skulls, surrounded by silent, kneeling dark cultivators. In her hand, she played with a broken piece of a divine seal.
A voice emerged from the shadows behind her. "What now, Mistress?"
Her lips curled beneath the veil.
"Now... we make the world mourn a second god."
—————
Author's Note: Volume 3 is now uploaded! the last of last TvT, I actually don't wanna apply a contract for this novel of mine since I want you guys to read this for free, but maybe for my second or third novel if you support me or you think I deserve to earn something for making this piece. Lots of love>