A vision enveloped Wang Chung.
The realms burned.
He saw himself—older, colder, draped in black. A sovereign of void, slaying corrupted gods with one strike. He wasn't a tyrant. He was an executioner.
The Celestial Emperor had ordered the slaughter of lower realms to feed divine immortality. Wang Chung had rebelled, leading a coalition of realms. Yu Meilan stood beside him. So did Long Tian.
Then... betrayal. A divine edict turned allies into enemies. Yu Meilan's hand was forced. Long Tian was ambushed. The heavens sealed him to end the war.
> "I fought to protect them," Wang Chung whispered. "And they erased me."