Myth Beyond Heaven

Xiao Shou's expression darkened at the sound of the voice. He whirled around to see a group of six figures in the distance.

The one who had spoken was a slender man with pale skin. He was Bei Cong, the Northern Emperor. Standing beside Bei Cong were Dongfang Lou, the Eastern Emperor, and Xi Hong, the Western Emperor.

Xiao Shou also spotted his "old lover," Sheng Qianyu, along with Ying She and Gao Kang.

Sheng Qianyu's gaze lingered on Xiao Shou with a complicated mix of emotions. After leaving the Netherworld, she learned the shocking truth: he was the Southern Emperor all along.

Every time she recalled how arrogantly she had taunted him, a shiver ran down her spine. Thankfully, Xiao Shou seemed unbothered to care about her.

Bei Cong's eyes swept over Lin Xinyao and the others behind Xiao Shou. He smiled with an air of amusement. "Quite a gathering of beautiful women. It seems fortune favors us today."

Meanwhile, Dongfang Lou and Xi Hong cast curious glances towards Lan Qinghe and Li Shan, scrutinizing them intently.

"Leave," Xiao Shou commanded, his voice calm and steady.

"Leave?" Bei Cong scoffed, curling his lips in disdain.

Bei Cong's arrogant laughter echoed across the desolate plain. "Why should we leave, Brother Xiao? Did you miss us so much you decided to gather some lovely companions for our arrival?"

A tense silence descended upon the group. Xiao Shou, his expression unreadable, stood tall against the encroaching darkness emanating from the Netherworld figures.

Li Shan, still seated, nonchalantly poured himself another cup of tea, the rattling sound of the porcelain the only disruption to the charged atmosphere.

Meanwhile, Lan Qinghe calmly looked at Bei Cong and the others. No one knew what she was thinking at the moment.

"You should listen to him and leave," Long Qingxuan said slowly.

Bei Cong threw his head back and cackled. "Spirited words, little girl. But your words hold no weight against True Gods like us."

The combined presence of three True Gods, each with immense power radiating from them, weighed heavily on Yun Qianxue and the others.

Sensing the escalation, Xiao Shou raised a hand, silencing the brewing storm. "Don't harm them," he declared, his voice firm. "You are here for me after all."

Bei Cong's amusement faded, replaced by a glint of steel in his eyes. "Indeed. We've unfinished business, Southern Emperor. You've caused quite a stir escaping our grasp."

He gestured towards Sheng Qianyu, Ying She, and Gao Kang. "I won't harm them but these three are different."

Sheng Qianyu, her features a mask of conflicting emotions, remained silent. Ying She, a cruel smirk twisting his lips, unsheathed his twin swords, their menacing glint an unspoken threat. Gao Kang, his face void of expression, readied his massive warhammer, its aura heavy with destructive power.

Hua Rong stepped forward, ready to confront them.

The situation grew precarious. Xiao Shou, vastly outnumbered, stood resolute, seemingly unfazed by the imposing figures before him.

Lan Qinghe and Li Shan, their expressions unreadable, remained vigilant, their divine auras crackling with anticipation.

"Can you take care of them?" Xiao Shou glanced at Long Qingxuan.

"There is no need to spare them, right?" Long Qingxuan responded calmly.

Xiao Shou took a deep look at her and said. "They can die."

"Good," Long Qingxuan nodded gently. "Leave them to me."

"Heh. A mere Middle God is really arrogant." Ying She chuckled.

"Be careful… She is a bit weird." Sheng Qianyu furrowed her brow.

Long Qingxuan had perfectly concealed her aura and no one could see through her true identity. She appeared to be an ordinary Middle God.

"Weird? Aren't you overthinking?" Ying She curled his lips.

However, Ying She's amusement died a swift death as Long Qingxuan's eyes flared to life. A wave of boundless azure light erupted from her, engulfing the entire battlefield.

The once-desolate plain shimmered with this otherworldly luminescence. It was a primal energy, an undeniable presence that resonated in the very fabric of the God Tomb.

"Argh!"

Ying She, caught off guard, barely had time to raise his twin blades to shield himself. The azure light washed over him, and a shriek ripped through the air as the flesh on his exposed arms sizzled and blackened.

He stumbled back, his eyes wide with terror. The aura of a Primordial Beast, one he had only encountered in legends, pressed down upon him like an unyielding mountain.

Sheng Qianyu, sensing the shift in power dynamics, gasped. Her earlier dismissal of Long Qingxuan evaporated as a cold sweat formed on her brow. "Impossible…" she murmured, her voice barely a whisper.

Gao Kang, however, remained unfazed. With a mighty bellow, he swung his warhammer, unleashing a torrent of dark energy towards the source of the azure light. The black energy slammed into the light barrier, momentarily distorting it.

Long Qingxuan, her hair now a cascading waterfall of cerulean blue, raised a slender hand. Embedded within her palm was a miniature, translucent dragon that pulsed with an ethereal glow – the Dragon God's Soul.

As she channeled her power through it, the azure light intensified, pushing back the darkness like a rising tide.

ROAR—

From behind the blinding radiance, a monstrous roar echoed. It was a sound that shook the very heavens, vibrating through the bones of those present. It was the primordial roar of an Azure Dragon God, a sound that resonated with the essence of power and dominion.

The light subsided slightly, revealing Long Qingxuan, now transformed. Her human form had elongated, becoming serpentine and majestic. Pearlescent scales shimmering with a faint azure hue covered her body, and a pair of magnificent, translucent wings sprouted from her back.

Upon her head, a pair of azure horns curled gracefully. This was no longer a human, but a divine being, the embodiment of an ancient power.

Sheng Qianyu stumbled back, her face pale with a mixture of fear and disbelief. "A… Azure Dragon God?" she stammered.

Ying She, his face contorted in a mask of agony, desperately tried to shield himself from the residual aura emanating from Long Qingxuan.

Gao Kang, however, roared back in defiance, his dark energy surging around him like a maelstrom.

Long Qingxuan's gaze, cold and piercing, scanned the battlefield. Her voice, resonating with the power of an ancient dragon, boomed across the plain. "You dare threaten us?"

The sheer power of her voice sent tremors through the ground.

"Argh!" Ying She cried out again, the scales on his arms turning brittle and cracking.

Sheng Qianyu clutched her chest, struggling to breathe under the immense pressure. Who would have thought that such a legendary existence actually appeared in front of her?