Chapter 126 – Beneath the Thunder, the God of Yang Rises

The world trembled with unspoken tension.

From the smoldering ruins of the Ember Throne, Chen Ming stood on the edge of a blasted cliff, eyes raised toward the sky. The clouds had not yet recovered from the Titan's explosion—embers still drifted on the wind like snowflakes from a dying star.

Behind him, Lanmei's aura shimmered faintly with divine exhaustion. Ye Yue leaned on her staff, her expression distant, sensing the shifts in the realm itself. Mei, Sarina, and the others gathered close—silent, expectant.

The air crackled.

"Something's changed," Chen muttered, his voice low. "They've noticed."

Ye Yue's brows furrowed. "The divine courts?"

"All of them," he replied. "They're watching. Waiting. But they're not unified anymore."

He raised his hand. Soulflame flickered along his fingers—not just heat, but intention. Threads of memory, essence, and purpose danced through him, drawn from every woman who had cultivated with him. Each bond was now a channel, an unspoken alliance of souls.

"We've shaken the foundations," he said, voice gaining strength. "But now we need to strike before they stabilize."

Lanmei moved to his side. "Where?"

Sarina stepped forward, a map already glowing from her palm—etched with divine ley lines, sealed gates, and dead territories. "There," she said, tapping an unmarked region in the east. "The Vault of Echoing Time. Rumors say it houses relics the courts feared. It was lost in the last divine rebellion."

"Until now," Mei added. "The Titan's destruction cleared a path through the storm veil. For the first time in a thousand years, it's reachable."

Chen's eyes narrowed. "Then we take it."

Later That Night – Beneath the Stormlight

In the heart of their sanctuary, as strategies were finalized, Chen found himself standing with Ye Yue and Lanmei again—this time not in battle, but in reflection.

"I can feel the fear in them," he murmured. "But it's not the fear of a tyrant rising. It's the fear of a world changing without their permission."

Ye Yue smiled faintly. "Then change it faster."

Lanmei smirked, tracing a hand over his heart. "And burn any who resist."

Behind them, the sky cracked with divine thunder—but none flinched.

Elsewhere – The Approach

Far away, a lone figure walked across the clouds. She was clad in ice and silence, her eyes pale blue, her blade a crescent of frost. Aelra, emissary of the Frost Court, chosen to parley with a storm dressed in mortal skin.

She arrived at the outskirts of Chen's sanctuary, not with soldiers, but with a challenge.

"God of Yang," she whispered to the wind, "Let us see if you are fire, or just smoke."