chapter 70: the shattering of fate
The clash between Shen Tian and the First was a battle unlike any the multiverse had ever witnessed. Time itself seemed to warp and bend around them, the air vibrating with the raw energy of their collision. Lightning cracked across the skies of the universe, and the ground beneath them quaked as if the very foundation of existence was under siege.
Shen Tian stood unyielding, his eyes ablaze with determination. The overwhelming force of the First bore down on him, yet he did not falter. His heart beat like a war drum, each pulse igniting the fires of his will. He had come too far, defied too many odds, to let a being from the dawn of time dictate his fate.
The First, a being of unimaginable power, looked upon Shen Tian with a mixture of disappointment and curiosity. "You dare challenge me?" the First's voice resonated through the very fabric of reality. "You, a mere mortal, would pit yourself against the primordial forces that gave birth to the multiverse?"
Shen Tian's voice rang out with unshakable confidence. "I am no mere mortal. I am Shen Tian, the one who transcends the heavens, the one who will decide my own destiny. And I will rewrite the laws you speak of."
The First's expression darkened, and the very air around them grew heavy with an almost unbearable weight. With a single gesture, the First summoned a storm of energy that tore through the very fabric of the cosmos. Rivers of stars surged toward Shen Tian, threatening to engulf him in an instant. But Shen Tian was ready.
With a wave of his hand, he summoned a barrier of divine energy, the sheer power of his resolve making the storm falter. As the celestial rivers crashed against the shield, the collision created a shockwave that rippled through every corner of existence. Stars flickered, galaxies trembled, and the universe itself seemed to groan under the strain of their cosmic struggle.
"I won't be silenced!" Shen Tian declared, his voice unwavering as he stepped forward, his energy surging like an unstoppable tidal wave. "I will shatter the chains of fate. The old gods will fall, and a new order will rise. A realm where I write the rules."
The First's eyes glowed with ancient fury as it raised its hand, summoning a surge of dark energy that seemed to devour the very light around it. "You cannot escape the inevitable," it whispered, its voice like the grinding of the cosmos. "I am the First. I have seen the beginning of time, and I will see the end of it."
But Shen Tian was no longer the man who had once been bound by the rules of existence. He had transcended limits, and now, in the face of the ancient being's fury, he felt a strange calm settle over him. His connection to the laws of the multiverse—those very rules that the First believed to be immutable—had grown beyond comprehension.
"Then let the end begin," Shen Tian whispered.
With a single motion, he unleashed his full power, a torrent of energy that shattered the darkness before him. The shockwave of his attack cracked the very fabric of reality, distorting space and time itself. The First recoiled, its ancient power faltering for the briefest of moments.
The battle between Shen Tian and the First escalated as they unleashed their true power, each strike shaking the cosmos. The universe seemed to hold its breath, as if waiting for the outcome of their contest.
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Amidst the chaos of the battle, Shen Tian's wives—those who had been with him through his long journey—watched from a distance, their gazes filled with both concern and awe. The weight of the battle's significance was not lost on them. Hundreds of lives, their children, their loved ones, were at stake. They had witnessed Shen Tian's rise, his defiance against the heavens, but this was something else. This was a battle for the very fabric of existence.
"I've never seen him like this," Xue Mei said, her voice tinged with worry as she held their young daughter in her arms.
Ling'er, always the supportive pillar, nodded. "But we know him. He won't give up. He's always believed that fate was something to be shaped, not followed."
The others stood silent, their hearts intertwined with Shen Tian's resolve. Xiulan, the once-quiet scholar, now had a fire in her eyes. "We knew this day would come. He's always been destined to change everything. But this... this is different. He's fighting against the very foundation of creation itself."
They all felt the weight of the decision Shen Tian had made. He had not only defied the gods—he had set himself on a course that would forever alter the cosmos. The question was no longer whether he would win, but whether the multiverse could survive such a defiant will.
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As the battle raged on, Shen Tian felt a strange shift in the air. It was as though the ancient forces that had been watching from the shadows—those who governed the hidden laws of reality—had begun to stir. They were interfering.
Suddenly, the First's form shifted, becoming a vast entity of swirling energy. The world around Shen Tian seemed to collapse in on itself, a vortex of light and shadow threatening to consume everything in its wake. Shen Tian's own power surged in response, flaring brighter than the stars themselves, yet even this could not halt the impending collapse.
"This is the true cost of defying fate," the First intoned. "The universe cannot bear such disruption. You have taken the first step toward unraveling everything."
Shen Tian's eyes blazed with an unbreakable resolve. "I don't care about the cost. I've already paid for my future. The universe, the multiverse, the gods—they will bend to my will."
With that, Shen Tian pushed forward, shattering the collapsing vortex with a single blast of energy that tore through space itself. The ancient forces tried to resist, but Shen Tian was not the same person who had once wandered the realms as a mere cultivator. He was a being who had transcended the laws of existence.
And as the First faltered, Shen Tian's voice rang out, resonating with the power of the cosmos itself. "I am not bound by your fate. I will create my own destiny."
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The clash continued, each moment more intense than the last. The Ancients watched in silence, unsure whether to intervene or allow the drama to unfold. Shen Tian's power had reached unimaginable heights, a force that not even the oldest gods could control.
The question remained: would the universe itself be shattered under the weight of Shen Tian's defiance, or would it be reborn, reshaped by a new will?
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End of Chapter 70