Chapter 35: The Awakening of the First God
Ying Yue's breath hitched as she stared into the eyes of the First God—eyes that shimmered like molten gold, endless and ancient. They carried the weight of a thousand lifetimes, of love and fury, of creation and destruction.
"You remember me?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
"I remember... everything," he said, voice like thunder wrapped in silk. "I remember how you sealed me away. I remember how you cried."
Bai Jiu stepped forward, sword half-drawn. "If you seek revenge, we won't let you harm her."
The First God turned his gaze to Bai Jiu, and for a breathless moment, the air cracked with divine pressure. But instead of attacking, he smiled—sadly.
"You must be the one she loved in this life."
"I am," Bai Jiu said. "And I'll protect her."
"Then protect her from them," the First said, raising his chained arms toward the sky.
Above them, the heavens darkened.
Clouds boiled like ink. Divine lightning cracked. A gate appeared among the stars—one forged by the Celestial Tribunal.
"They've come," Ying Yue whispered. "They fear what he knows."
The First God met her gaze. "They imprisoned me not because I was dangerous, but because I was mortal once. Because I showed the others what power born of choice looks like. I never sought to destroy heaven... only to change it."
Another bolt of judgment lightning crashed down beside the gate, searing the stone.
Ying Yue's heart pounded. "They'll kill us all."
Bai Jiu stepped in front of her. "Then we fight. Together."
The First God shook his head. "I am still bound. I cannot strike them… but you can."
Ying Yue stepped forward, raising the ring. "Then I'll free you."
Bai Jiu hesitated. "Ying Yue—if you do this, there's no going back."
She turned to him, eyes fierce but full of love. "Then stay with me. To the end."
He nodded. "Always."
---
With a cry, Ying Yue thrust the ring into the seal at the First God's feet. A wave of golden light burst forth, tearing through the bindings. The mountain quaked, and the sky split open.
The First God roared as his chains dissolved into ash. He rose—no longer a prisoner, but a god reborn.
And the heavens trembled.
---
From the celestial gate above, divine warriors descended. Clad in silver flame and starlight, they formed a circle in the sky, blades drawn.
"Fu Sheng," one of them boomed, using her divine name, "you stand with the Fallen One. Step aside, or perish with him."
Ying Yue lifted her chin. "I remember now. I remember everything. I was the one who saved this world—not you. And I will not let you rewrite it again."
The First God raised his hand, conjuring a spear of voidlight. "Let them come."
Bai Jiu joined them, his blade gleaming white-hot.
And so, under the shattered heavens, three stood against the gods.
---
The battle began.
Flames clashed with lightning. Divine seals split the air. Ying Yue chanted spells forgotten by the stars, while Bai Jiu danced between warriors, his sword singing with power.
The First God fought like a storm unleashed—graceful and terrifying.
But the gods were endless.
They fell, only to rise again.
Blood stained the stones. The sky bled light.
Ying Yue staggered. Her power flickered.
"I can't... hold them off forever."
The First caught her, his golden aura shielding her. "Then we end it now."
He raised both hands. The air thickened. The Gate of Heaven pulsed.
"I'll seal them," he said. "All of them. But it will cost me."
"No!" Ying Yue cried. "We just freed you!"
"This is why I was born," he said gently. "Not to rule… but to end the cycle."
He looked to Bai Jiu. "Protect her."
And then—to their horror—he stepped into the sky, arms wide.
A final invocation left his lips.
The gate exploded in light.
And the gods were no more.
---
When the sky cleared, silence fell.
The First God was gone.
Bai Jiu held Ying Yue as she wept—grief and gratitude mingling in her tears.
"He saved us," she whispered.
"Yes," Bai Jiu said, voice low. "And now it's our turn to save this world."