The sky turned white at noon.
Not the clean white of clouds—the terrible, empty white of a blank scroll, scrubbed clean of all ink. Birds fell mid-flight. Rivers stopped flowing. Even the wind held its breath as the Celestial Edict unfurled across the heavens in letters of burning gold:
"LUO FENG. COME FORTH AND BE JUDGED."
The Fox Spirit's newly regenerated fifth tail bristled, its fur standing on end. "Well. That's not ominous at all."
Li Qing's sword hand twitched. "They're not asking."
[System Alert: Divine Mandate Detected]
[Mission: Survive the Pantheon's Judgment]
[Reward: Unlock Sealed Memories (5%)]
[Failure Penalty: Divine Erasure]
Luo Feng tightened his grip on the God-Sealing Nail, still warm from the ruins. "What happens if we ignore it?"
The ground trembled in response. In the distance, mountains folded like paper, erased from existence by an unseen hand.
The Fox Spirit gulped. "That. That happens."
[The Trial: Three Strikes of Heaven]
1. The Chastisement of Thunder
Varkus descended first, his lightning-wreathed form splitting the sky.
"YOU HAD POTENTIAL," the Thunder God boomed. "NOW YOU'RE JUST A NUISANCE."
He didn't attack. He flicked his wrist—and Luo Feng's bones turned to live wires, every nerve alight with agony.
[Lightning Resistance Overloaded: 120% → 0%]
The Fox Spirit lunged, her fifth tail lashing out—only to recoil as it changed mid-swing, scales erupting from fur.
Varkus paused. "...WHAT IS THAT?"
2. The Scorn of War
Karghes arrived next, his war axe dripping with celestial blood.
"PATHETIC," he growled. "I DEFENDED A LIAR."
His strike didn't aim for flesh—it severed connections. Luo Feng's bond to the Wind VE snapped like a cut string.
[Ability Lost: Gale Step]
Li Qing moved then, her borrowed sword flashing—
—and froze as the War God caught her blade, his fingers crushing the metal like clay.
"YOU TEACH YOUR DOG NEW TRICKS, FALSE ONE?"
3. The Final Verdict
Then She appeared.
The Celestial Arbiter, her face a shifting mask of all judges who ever lived, her voice the sum of every gavel's fall:
"LUO FENG. YOU ARE NOT."
The nail in Luo Feng's hand screamed as the Arbiter reached for it—
—and the Void Emperor materialized in a burst of shadow, catching her wrist.
"ENOUGH."
The Pantheon stilled.
[The Ultimatum: A God's Gambit]
The Void Emperor didn't look at Luo Feng as he spoke to the assembled gods:
"HE'S MINE TO PUNISH."
The Arbiter's mask cracked into a smile. "ONE WEEK. THEN WE SCRAPE HIM FROM EXISTENCE."
As the gods vanished, the Emperor finally turned to Luo Feng. His starless eyes were... tired.
"FIND THE OTHER NAILS. OR DIE."
Then he too was gone, leaving behind only three words burning in the dirt:
Sword. Bell. Mirror.
[Check-In Complete (Temporary Reprieve)]
[Reward: Memory Fragment (5%)]
[Truth: You Were Meant to Hold Something Back]
The Fox Spirit's mutated tail coiled around her arm, its scales glistening unnaturally. "So. We're hunting divine artifacts now?"
Li Qing stared at the ruined remains of her sword. "We're not we anymore."
Luo Feng reached for her—
—and the world blurred as the first memory fragment hit:
A silver-haired woman handing him a sword, her eyes full of tears. "Remember. Even if they make you forget—"
Then nothing.
END OF THE CHAPTER24