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Under The Scarlet Horizon

J_TSTBR_Cultivator
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Synopsis
Lord Long Xiao, one of the Five Holy Gods and also the newly appointed god overseeing mortal cultivation, had descended to the realms for "research"... or so he claimed. The real reason? To avoid participating in the Gods' Contest, an annual divine competition where gods of various philosophies clashed to determine whose path reigned supreme. Long Xiao never asked for this job. One minute, he was assisting our heavenly therapist while avoiding divine mail. The next, his dearest friends signed him up to replace the wounded Lord Haoyu, former overseer of human cultivation, now in seclusion recovering from a match with Ares, god of war. Naturally, Long Xiao did what any responsible god would do: he ran. Well, “descended for divine research,” as he put it. While the other gods clashed in the annual Gods’ Contest, Long Xiao rode his phoenix into the Twelve Realms, well rode his cloud to be exact. Seeking enlightenment, peace, stories, and perhaps, definitely not intentionally, an escape from his new responsibilities. What he finds instead? A prophecy unraveling. Two prodigies born under the return of the Scarlet Horizon: Xu Lianhua, chaos incarnate with a quick tongue and quicker fingers, running an empire under the guise of an inn. Mo Zeyan, the Wind Sect’s crown prince, graceful as a sword stroke and faster than reason. Both born under a star that had only flared once before the realms even existed. According to Bai Zhenzhu, Supreme Oracle of the Tianyue Realm, these two would either unify the Twelve Realms… …or shatter them completely. And Long Xiao? He’s just the god who stumbled into the middle of it all without a clue, and definitely without an invite.
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Chapter 1 - The Prophecy

Under the Scarlet Horizon, two stars were born. One was born from pure evil. One was born from extreme kindness. According to the ancient records, such an occurrence had happened only once before. The event that preceded the birth of the Twelve Realms. This event, which they called Divine Annihilation, nearly destroyed existence itself on Blue Star… and thus from its ruins, the Twelve Realms or Continents were born.

Tianyue Realm—Moonstar Temple

The Moonstar Temple rose from the mountaintop like a relic carved from moonlight itself. Its walls were built of pale stone veined with shimmering silver, each slab etched with constellations that pulsed faintly whenever the night sky stirred. Tall pillars encircled the central chamber, smooth and slender, shaped like elongated crescent moons stacked upon one another.

On one auspicious night in the Tianyue Realm—Realm of Divination and Fate, a bad omen was recorded.

Bai Zhenzhu, Supreme Oracle of the Tianyue Realm, claimed to have seen a vision of the Scarlet Star casting two stars together. When she consulted the elders of the sect, they brushed it off. This, to Bai Zhenzhu, was proof enough of the prophecy she had long spoken of.

Every day, the Supreme Oracle, an elder of the Starweaver Sect, works the celestial loom, threading constellations together to shield the future from calamity or predict prosperity. 

That night, beneath the full moon, she sat in the temple before her loom of starlight. Silken threads of destiny shimmered under her fingers; silver for fate, gold for fortune, crimson for chaos. She wove, as she always did, with quiet precision.

But then... something shifted.

Above her, the dome ceiling lay open, its great circular petals folded back like a blooming lotus of polished obsidian. Through the opening, the full moon hung enormous and luminous, bathing the temple in a cool, argent glow. When closed, the dome formed a perfect sphere of star-metal; when open, it revealed the sky so clearly it felt as though it had descended into the room.

One thread trembled. Another snapped. And from the tapestry, the Scarlet Star bled through the night sky, sending two entwined stars streaking across it, moving together, yet falling in opposite directions.

At that moment, Bai Zhenzhu shivered. The loom, an artifact of cosmic power that had spun the destiny of countless realms, shivered under her touch. Zhenzhu's fingers, which had woven threads of fate with serene confidence for a thousand years, faltered for the first time. The threads of destiny, usually vibrant and orderly, scattered into chaos. The loom shattered under the immense pressure, pieces of wood falling onto the ground with loud thuds.

 She staggered back, collapsing onto the floor. The floor beneath her was a mosaic of astral patterns, spirals of stardust and a great eight-pointed star at the center. She lay there, stunned and silent, her gaze fixed upon the sky. Around her lay the wreckage of a destiny she could no longer control. When the dizzying wave of shock finally receded, her hand still trembled.

WeiWei, Bai Zhenzhu's direct disciple who had just returned from the recent sect trials, decided to pay her master her respects. As she entered the Moonstar Temple, the sight that lay before her was overwhelming. Wei Wei had never seen the temple in such a disheveled state. Her gaze fell upon the scattered divine threads and broken pieces of wood before finally settling on Bai Zhenzhu herself .

"Master," Wei Wei called out, rushing towards her Master.

"Wei Wei, get me ink and parchment. Quick!" Bai Zhenzhu said hoarsely as Wei offered her arm to support her.

"But Master… you're bleeding." Wei Wei hesitated, helping her master settle down.

"Now, Wei Wei." Bai Zhenzhu said hoarsely.

Wei Wei opened her mouth to speak but taking in her master's expression, she left the temple quickly.