Jian was not born in the dark, but she was raised in it.  Forced beneath the earth, beyond the Hundred Veils where shadows are farmed for false promises, she did not consider what would happen if she found what she was looking for. It has been less than fifty years since their predecessors were judged lacking, yet the Princes of the Hells dig ever deeper, in search of the Empty Throne.  They pit their lessers against each other, sharpening iron against iron, and punish those who reach beyond their station.   It has been almost thirty years since the Surface suffered Conquest’s Folly.  The death of Enma left Acheron to crumble away without its King.  With nowhere to go, the River of Souls has broken its banks.  The Constellations have abandoned the Firmament to prop up a sinking land in an act of Sacrifice.  Immortal Heroes die.  Mortal Citizens pull themselves from their graves.  Mankind adjusts. It has been over five hundred years since the Queen Among Gods raised the Pillar of Eternity and hung the First Heaven beneath the Firmament.  She stands alone, her only equals fallen or mad.  She bides her time, unwilling to break the status quo and risk consigning her world to the scrutiny of the Old Gods. To escape one cage is to find yourself in another.  What is the cost of Eternity? It will take a while to get all that, but this story should have a beginning, middle, and (eventual) end.  The first few chapters will be a little flashback heavy as you get to know Jian.  As a warning, the story has ended up darker than I originally intended. I’ve tagged it Xianxia, but it’s more ‘Xianxia adjacent’ without most tropes.  It should hew closer to High Fantasy eventually, with a few different ways for people to grow strong enough to punch a God. [Nov 2023 Writathon - Success]