Yue Yun had always been strong.
Even as a young god, he trained harder than anyone. He never backed down from his duties, never hesitated when he was needed.
People respected him.
They called him the God of Skyfire—the flame that would never burn out.
But lately…
Something inside him felt unsteady.
—
He stood alone in a training hall, his sword blazing with blue fire. Each swing cut through the air with power, flames sparking and scattering across the ground.
Again.
And again.
But no matter how many times he practiced, the feeling wouldn't go away.
Something was coming.
Something big.
His grip tightened.
With a sharp breath, he swung harder.
Flames cracked across the floor, spreading outward in a burst of light.
"Still chasing peace through strength?"
The voice came from behind him.
Yue Yun turned.
Li Zhen stood at the entrance, watching him with a calm, knowing smile. The High Immortal looked just as he always had—quiet, steady, and impossible to read.
"You never rest," Li Zhen said as he stepped inside.
"I don't have time to rest," Yue Yun replied.
Li Zhen studied him for a moment.
"You're thinking about your sister."
Yue Yun didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
Li Zhen walked closer, his expression softening slightly. "She's still herself. That's what matters."
"I know," Yue Yun said.
A pause.
"But she lied."
Li Zhen's brows lifted slightly.
Yue Yun looked down at his sword, the blue flames flickering faintly.
"She said she didn't see the Demon Lord," he continued. "But I could feel it… the truth hiding behind her words."
He exhaled quietly.
"I didn't push her. I didn't want her to feel cornered."
Another pause.
"But now…"
"Now you're afraid she's already changing," Li Zhen finished.
Yue Yun gave a small nod.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Li Zhen's expression shifted, becoming more serious.
"You should prepare, Yue Yun," he said. "A rift is forming between the realms."
Yue Yun stilled.
"Something is opening," Li Zhen continued. "And you're going to be sent."
Yue Yun lowered his sword slightly. "Where?"
Li Zhen met his gaze.
"The Mortal World."
Yue Yun frowned. "Why would they send a god there?"
"Because this is your tribulation," Li Zhen said. "The path ahead of you isn't just about power."
He paused.
"It's about your heart."
"And in the Mortal World…"
His voice softened.
"Even gods can bleed."
—
That night, Yue Yun sat alone at the edge of a drifting cloud.
The sky stretched endlessly before him, quiet and still.
The Mortal World felt far away.
Almost unfamiliar.
He didn't remember much of it—of who he had been before becoming a god.
Maybe it was better that way.
But if that was where his fate was leading him…
Then he would go.
He would protect the realms.
He would protect his sister.
Even if it meant—
Falling from the sky.