The water beneath Si Wangjun's feet shimmered dark red — water no longer, but a river laced with his blood.It flowed endlessly, unhurried, as though all time itself moved beneath him.
This was the Immortal River of Benevolence, where countless beings had once ascended to eternity.But here, now, Si Wangjun bled alone.
It was neither cold nor hot.Only silent.Only vast.
Before him towered the Heavenly Gates, grand beyond imagining — carved of primordial jade, wrapped in the light of a thousand Daos.Above and around him floated Immortals draped in flawless robes, their gazes cold, their lips curved in disdain.
And yet, Si Wangjun stood tall.Even facing death, he stood.
His robe was shredded, dark with blood.His long hair stuck to his face, some strands charred and melted by the lingering lightning.But his spine never bent.His hands never shook.
"A man stands tall, even when the heavens fall."(男子当立,纵天崩亦不屈)
From the skies, a lazy voice rang out — thick with condescension.
"Si Wangjun… so stubborn, even in ruin."The old man descended, robes white as frost, beard flowing like silk.He stroked his beard slowly."You've climbed high, boy. But this… this is the end of the road. The Dao does not tolerate rebels."
Another voice, crisp and sharp, echoed from a female immortal dressed in indigo silk.Her beauty was flawless; her smile, cruel.
"To challenge the heavens itself — how laughable. You wished to usurp the Dao? You, a mere red demon from the mortal realm, The Heavens Greatest Mistake?"She let out a silvery laugh. "你不自量力." (You overestimate yourself.)
Laughter rippled among the gathered immortals.Some shook their heads in pity.Others sneered openly, voices cutting:
"He cultivated like a madman — only to die like a worm."
"The red demon who wished to become a god. Foolish."
"Si Wangjun, your ambition was boundless. Pity your fate was sealed the moment you touched the Immortal River."
And through it all —Si Wangjun did not lower his head.
His black eyes lifted calmly to the heavens.
"He who bows to heaven is but a servant.He who stands before heaven… is a monarch."(拜天者仆,立天者君)
He smiled faintly — tired but proud.
"I do not regret the path I walked.Better to burn in defiance than kneel in peace."
The female immortal's eyes sharpened, her graceful hand raising as thunder crackled behind her.
"Arrogant to the very end!Let me wipe your name from the scroll of existence!"
From her palm, the void split open — arcs of Heavenly Tribulation Thunder pouring out, congealing into a spear so vast it seemed to pierce the sky itself.
The mortal realms quaked.Rivers boiled.Mountains crumbled.
Yet Si Wangjun only let out a soft, bitter chuckle.
"The Dao speaks of balance and virtue… yet here you all stand, butchers dressed as kings.Tell me — am I the demon, or are you?"
The Immortals' faces twisted. Their auras surged wildly.
"You dare slander the Heavens?"
"Silence!"
"Enough!"
But at that exact moment —Something deeper stirred.A hum, a crackle — subtle at first, then roaring.
The very centre of the heavens fractured.
A deep, ancient force surged from within Si Wangjun's battered core — every ounce of his cultivation, every fragment of will, condensed into one.
The immortals' expressions turned from contempt… to terror.
"What… what is this qi?!"
"Impossible—!"
"His foundation should be broken!"
The female immortal's thunder spear flickered — crumbled to ash in her palm.Her eyes widened in horror.
Si Wangjun straightened his back fully.His lips parted one final time.
(Heaven and Earth are merciless; all things are but straw dogs.)
"If Heaven is heartless…Then let Heaven burn with me."
He inhaled slowly.His pupils turned black as ink.His long hair flashed silver-white.His shattered robe shimmered, cloaked in radiant white light.
The immortals scrambled. Seals exploded into being. Daoist formations flashed.But they were nothing.
"STOP HIM!"A faceless, cosmic voice howled.A colossal Dao hand, vast as a continent, descended to crush him.
It pressed down, trying to grind him into emptiness —but cracks spidered across its surface.
Si Wangjun's aura pierced through the void itself.
"Si Wangjun!! You will destroy all worlds—!"
His final smile was serene.
"一念生死,一念成灭."(With one thought, life and death. With one thought, creation and ruin.)
"If I am to fall…Then let all things fall with me."
A blinding white force exploded from his body.The Heavenly Gate shattered.The Immortal River dissolved.The Immortals screamed as light devoured sky, earth, and void alike—