Night had fallen over the scarlet peaks of the Crimson Mountains, where the wind howled like a dire omen. Lin Feng—now reborn as Yun Tian—stood on a jagged cliff edge, his gaze fixed on the distant celestial city shimmering in a halo of stars. It seemed impossibly far, yet hauntingly close. In his hand, he clenched the Eye of the Void, pulsing with black, scintillating light—a promise of power and justice.
"The time has come," he murmured, his deep voice reverberating in the frozen silence.
From within his robes, he withdrew an ancient scroll, yellowed by time and sealed with the marks of the Celestial Court. This was the list he had penned himself: the names of the Seven Traitors—his former disciples who, driven by ambition, jealousy, and betrayal, had brought about his downfall. Each of them now ruled as celestial sovereigns, powerful and arrogant, convinced they had freed themselves from the shadow of their former master.
The Weight of Betrayal
Lin Feng relived every agonizing moment of their treachery as if the blade still hung over his throat. These seven had once been nurtured by his own hand, yet they had become the instruments of his ruin. But now, he was no longer the powerless emperor assassinated by their conspiracies. He was the resurrected heir, bearer of the Eye of the Void, custodian of forbidden secrets, and wielding a cold, unyielding rage.
He unrolled the parchment and began to recite their names aloud, each syllable heavy with meaning:
Xuan Mo, once his chief strategist, now the "God of the Law."Zhi Lan, healer of his body, now the "Goddess of Compassion."Ji Feng, master of armies, sovereign of the Celestial Battlefields.Yue Shan, guardian of time, lord of Temporalities.Meng Yu, his personal disciple, now the Prophet of the Heavens.Bai Yue, archivist of knowledge, keeper of the Cosmic Gates.Shen Lie, sworn protector, now the "Savior King of the Ten Kingdoms."
Each bore a glorious title, but Lin Feng knew them for what they truly were—power-hungry puppets building their empires on lies.
The First Name: Xuan Mo, the God of the Law
The first confrontation was inevitable. Xuan Mo, master of the karmic chains, had imprisoned the city under a merciless code of laws. But Lin Feng, empowered by the Eye of the Void, saw beyond these shackles. He infiltrated Xuan Mo's Celestial Court, the place where souls were judged without mercy.
Karmic chains writhed and tightened around Lin Feng's form, trying to crush him. Yet the Eye of the Void shattered the links one by one. In a battle of wills and spirit, Lin Feng imposed his truth, revealing Xuan Mo as a usurper who twisted the law for his own glory.
Xuan Mo's furious roar echoed through the court as he vowed that celestial justice would rain down upon Lin Feng. But the heir was cold and merciless—he branded Xuan Mo's domain with a sigil of war, announcing the coming storm.
Zhi Lan, the Goddess with the Sweet Poison
The second traitor was far more insidious. Zhi Lan, whose hands once healed but whose heart had poisoned Lin Feng's soul, still pretended to love him. She had defiled the very essence of his being, attempting to corrode his celestial aura from within.
Lin Feng confronted her in the Hanging Gardens—where hopes and regrets bloomed side by side. Zhi Lan wielded illusions and sweet, treacherous mirages, exploiting memories of their shared past, weaving truth and lies into a fragile tapestry.
But Lan Xue, Lin Feng's loyal ally, saw through the deception. With a brilliant spiritual burst, she dispelled the veil of lies. Lin Feng exposed Zhi Lan's treachery before the celestial witnesses, shattering her mask of compassion.
Wounded and humiliated, Zhi Lan withdrew with venom dripping from her lips: "You will not survive the betrayal of those who still love you…"
Ji Feng and the Flaming Skies
The third confrontation erupted into a cataclysmic battle. Ji Feng, sovereign of the Celestial Battlefields, summoned armies of meteors and fire, determined to crush Lin Feng utterly.
The ground trembled beneath their feet as the two former masters clashed on the Starry Warfield. The sky ignited in flames as meteors tore through the atmosphere with deafening roars.
Lin Feng, partially fused with Hei Long—the Black Dragon—unleashed a storm of shadows and light. The fusion of man and divine beast sent a primal roar echoing through the heavens. Their duel was a deadly dance, every strike weighted by centuries of hatred and pain.
In the end, Ji Feng was defeated but unbroken. With a bitter smile, he swore the war was far from over.
Yue Shan, the Guardian of Time
Yue Shan was one of the most formidable foes. Master of memories and time itself, he trapped Lin Feng in a labyrinth of false memories and altered realities.
Within this mental prison, Lin Feng relived his darkest moments: the betrayal of friends, the agony of rebirth. Yet, through the wisdom imparted by Master Bai Chen, he saw through the illusions.
Their final confrontation took place in the Temple of Time, where every second could stretch into eternity. Lin Feng wielded the Eye of the Void to pierce the temporal fabric, turning Yue Shan's corrupted memories back against him.
Yue Shan faltered but vanished in a burst of light, leaving behind a chilling warning: "The time for your victory has not yet come."
Meng Yu, the Fallen Prophet
Meng Yu, once a disciple and thief of celestial scriptures, used his visions to manipulate the destinies of kingdoms. His dark prophecies sowed doubt and fear.
Lin Feng and Lan Xue infiltrated the Sanctuary of Prophecies, a realm where the future seemed etched in the stars. Meng Yu tried to trap them in an endless loop of nightmare visions, but the Eye of the Void shattered the curse.
In a duel of intellect and will, Lin Feng exposed Meng Yu, revealing his prophecies as lies meant only to cement his power.
Broken, Meng Yu fled, vowing that the true judgment was yet to come.
Bai Yue, Keeper of Forgotten Memories
The sixth traitor was the most subtle. Bai Yue had erased Lin Feng from the celestial archives, destroying his legacy from collective memory.
Lin Feng ventured into the Infinite Library, a labyrinth where every book contained a fragment of reality. Bai Yue, with the power to erase and rewrite, tried to annihilate Lin Feng's existence itself.
But Master Bai Chen accompanied Lin Feng, reminding him of the strength in true memories and the heart's conviction. Together, they challenged Bai Yue's spells, restoring to Lin Feng what was rightfully his: his history, his name, his truth.
Shen Lie, the Ambitious Savior King
Finally, there was Shen Lie—the closest to Lin Feng, the sworn protector who had betrayed him for ambition. Now he proclaimed himself the "Savior King of the Ten Kingdoms," a title forged in fear and corrupted devotion.
Their encounter unfolded in the Palace of the Ten Kingdoms, a majestic but tainted seat of power. Shen Lie manipulated crowds and faith, trying to persuade Lin Feng to join his reign.
But Lin Feng, his resolve icy and unwavering, refused. What followed was a duel as much political as martial, where words cut as deeply as swords.
Then Shen Lie revealed a secret: Lin Feng's original betrayal was not only by his disciples but by a far older force lurking in the shadows of the Forbidden Heavens.
A Greater Mystery
The chapter closed on this unexpected revelation, plunging Lin Feng into a new quest. Standing at the heart of the palace, surrounded by relics of former glory and current foes, a voice echoed inside the Eye of the Void:
"The story you believe to be true is but a veil. The Ancient Gods themselves conspired in the shadows."
Lin Feng felt his heart tighten. The battle against the Seven Traitors was only the beginning of a much larger war—one that would challenge the very laws of the cosmos.
He lifted his eyes to the star-filled sky. The legacy of the Forbidden Heavens was far from over. His vengeance had begun, but the truth… was far more dangerous.
End of Chapter 12 – The Seven Traitors
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