The sky split, and creatures from beyond sought to invade the land, spreading their filth and corruption. While giant grey tentacles held the spatial crack in place, countless deformed limbs of various sizes sought to push their way through the opening. Yet, in their zeal, they remained stuck in the narrow breach.

The sky flickered as if in resistance, and a loud ripping noise echoed in the atmosphere as the tear began to widen from the concentrated forces applied to it. Furthermore, a dark grey mist poured out of it, dyeing the world in its stain as if removing all colour from it. Everything it touched became black or white or anything in between.

Countless eyelids strewn upon the contorted appendages slowly opened, revealing nightmare-inducing eyes possessing bottomless irises. A sense of dread and madness spread on the land from the mere sight of this creature. In fact, upon closer look, it resembled more of an amalgam of countless creatures pieced together without rhyme or reason. It seemed to be the very definition of chaos.

Qin Yun looked overhead with realization in his eyes, yet soon had to look away as he, too, felt insanity take root in his heart. Despite all he had experienced, this creature was much too fearsome for mere mortals to contend with.

Qin Yun soon felt weakness assault him, and he began to collapse as his legs failed to support him, only to be held up by Yun Jingfei. Blood flowed from his nose and mouth, and he felt disoriented, and his pounding headache only grew in intensity. He knew imbuing sword intent into his strike would be fraught with danger, but he didn’t expect it to take such a toll on his body. He could barely stop himself from losing consciousness.

“Are you alright?” Yun Jingfei asked, her lovely features twisted with worry.

Yet, Qin Yun could barely make them as his vision began to blur. He steadied himself, trying to overcome the pain, if only to reassure her. Besides, Qin Yun knew this pain was only temporary, yet he couldn’t allow himself to collapse. What happened here would shape his life from now on; this was his turning point.

A roar of frustration emerged from the other side of the spatial tear, sowing destruction in its wake as the wave of wind it created toppled some of the weaker structures and trees. Even Qin Yun and his wife stumbled backwards, unable to resist this monstrous force.

Then, a single giant tentacle plunged from the crack in the sky, seeking to reach the ground to spread its corruption. Yet, before it could do so, it was intercepted mid-flight.

A sun burned in mid-air, blocking its path. As the two collided, the world stood still momentarily, yet their hopes were dashed. Even the mighty sun that had bloomed was no match against this monstrosity.

The dark grey tentacle sought to reach the sun's nucleus, but it was burned by its radiance. Yet, this corruption slowly corroded its light, losing all vestiges of its brilliance.

The sun began to fall, coming ever closer to the land. Its heat dispersed unto the ground's surface, evaporating the puddles of water leftover from the torrential rain. The mud dried quickly, turning to dirt and then crumbling away.

Some mortals could barely stand the sun’s incandescence, but fortunately, the city’s formation was engaged just in time, spreading the heat to the whole of its surface.

Despite it all, the sun was losing ground as the appendage pressing on it was relentless, akin to an unending flood. A dark liquid spewed from the void, somehow resembling saliva. It tumbled from the sky, hitting the formation barring its path. The formation flickered in resistance, yet the black substance flowed without end.

Despite looking away, Qin Yun could hear a grating voice whisper in his head, speaking an incomprehensible language. Yet, somehow, he knew its intentions as if the sounds themselves carried their meanings.

It spoke of death and destruction, the end of all things, enough to drive any living creature to the edge of madness. These creatures were the bringers of nightmares, the apostles of despair, and the heralds of the apocalypse—at least, those who gazed upon them thought so as they lost their minds.

If this creature was despair, then hope must exist somewhere. Such was the sun overhead for all those who waited beneath. Yet, even hope was failing them. The sun became evermore dim with every moment, futilely trying to stop this deluge. After all, a single man's power was nothing against the end of the world.

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The giant eye peered over the crack, regaling in the destruction it brought to this foreign land. But then, hope arose, or something close to it. In response to their city lord’s struggles, five others rose in defiance.

Their figures were blurred, hidden behind a colourful light. Above their heads, giant lotuses materialized, depicting crisp avatars seated on those lotuses. On their heads were crowns made of flames, water, or countless other elements.

The world’s laws bent to their wills as they took flight, joining the city lord in his fight against this foreign oppressor. Their powers were immense, yet esoteric. No matter how many sought to uncover the secret of their strength, all they could see were countless colourful lights pushing back the darkness.

The sky was split between colour and monochrome, struggling within this endless tug-of-war between the opposing entities. Yet, the invaders from beyond were relentless. No matter how many perished at the hands of those six individuals, there were already more to replace them. The situation soon devolved into a battle of attrition, yet it was clear who was on the losing end.

The giant tentacle still rampaged with all its might, swiping away with abandon with no target in sight. Whether the creature simply had a taste for destruction or couldn't identify its target was impossible to know. All that was for certain was anything that stood in its path would be crushed without mercy.

Feeling somewhat responsible for this debacle, Qin Yun couldn’t stay on the sideline any longer. Even more so, knowing that even those six figures were incapable of repelling this creature.

He steadied himself and took a deep breath before turning to look at his wife. He could barely see straight, owing to the blood that dripped over his eyes and the massive headache that still assaulted him. Yet, her worry was evident, which couldn't help but make him smile despite it all.

She seemed to be saying something, yet he could hear almost none of it as blood dripped from his ears. He could only feel the familiar vibrations of her voice on his skull as her head was close to his. Unsure of what would happen next, Qin Yun wished for no regrets if he were to leave this place due to the events that would follow. As such, he crept ever nearer before finally making contact with her lips. Yet, it was a disappointment as all he could taste was blood. Still, her expression then warmed his heart.

She seemed flustered and confused, yet Qin Yun had no time to explain everything. The situation was much too dire. The dangling appendage was slowly closing in on the ground despite being held back by the six glowing figures.

Qin Yun rose to his feet with difficulty, propping himself up with his crystal sword. Yun Jingfei sought to help him at first. Yet, once she realized what he intended to do, she stood before him, trying to reason with him. Yet again, Qin Yun could hear none of it, but her intentions were obvious.

With a gentle wave of his hand, Qin Yun created a burst of wind that picked Yun Jingfei off the ground, propelling her backwards straight toward the hill. Fortunately, Lian Huiling was there to catch her as she was nearby. Whether or not Qin Yun had planned this was uncertain, yet this allowed him to enact his plan.

He stood straight, gazing upwards, then closed his eyes. The pressure of the appendage overhead was as clear as day in his mind. It was akin to a dark, heavy mass distorting space within the peaceful sea of his mind.

He propped his arm that held the sword back as if winding a spring. Then, using his whole body, he let his arm lose from its restrain, thrusting upwards with all the strength he could muster. Once his body was all in alignment, from the sole of his foot to the tip of his sword, the blade came to a sudden stop. Yet, the intent imbued within flew forth, breaking everything in its wake. The destruction was contained to the width of the blade, concentrated into a single line, all aimed to the point of the dangling appendage.

The sword intent rose to the sky, bypassing the six who held these foreign invaders back, then met its mark without any deviation. It plunged forth into the mass of flesh, breaking and tearing asunder everything that stood in its path from the inside out. Unable to contain the force of that blow, the flesh cracked then burst, yet this wasn’t the end.

The massive chunks of flesh cut from the roots were further sliced apart until all that remained was the same grey mist that spewed from the crack in the sky. Qin Yun's sword intent was akin to a virus infecting every cell before cutting them up at the atomic level as it propagated upwards toward its origin. Once the sword intent passed the threshold of this world, it disappeared into the void beyond. Whether or not Qin Yun had dealt a blow to what lay beyond would be left unanswered.

Still, this blow came at a cost, a cost that may be too hard for Qin Yun to bear. His head pounded as if his skull had been split with an axe. He could barely think as excruciating pain assaulted his mind. The recoil of this strike was too much for him to bear at this moment, yet he couldn't allow himself to lose consciousness. He needed to see the aftermath.

Once the giant appendage was removed, the six figures could finally push the invaders back. Yet, to their dismay, countless others of a similar nature could be seen beyond the edge of reality, waiting for the hole to grow bigger. Even with their mighty powers, those six couldn’t hope to hold back this massive invasion.

Yet, when all hope seemed lost, dark clouds gathered again over Jin City, showing the might of the lightning hidden within. This time, however, the lightning was coloured black, emitting an air of destruction. Indeed, unlike the previous lightning, which was meant as a punishment and a warning, this existed solely to annihilate whatever stood in its path.

Lightning crackled as its might intensified. The two overbearing forces battled in the sky while all the world could only watch. Even the six deities could only be spectators in this conflict. Lightning collided against the grey mist, obliterating it with each strike, yet more always spewed from the opening as if an endless sea lay beyond. The world's only hope was to close this breach.

Black clouds gathered endlessly before forming two massive hands in the sky. Then, the palms took position against each other with the crack in the middle. With overpowering might, they pressed against each other, willing the breach to close, all the while discharging its black lightning every chance it had.

While the outpour of creatures from beyond seemed endless, the hole only allowed a select few to pass its threshold, which wasn’t nearly enough to face the might of the world.

While Qin Yun could no longer see due to the repercussions of using his intent twice in a short time, he knew that the world wouldn't let him down. In fact, he had counted on it to close this hole. How could it not? It was the world itself; how could it allow itself to be invaded? Still, it wouldn't interfere unless Qin Yun paid a price. After all, he was responsible for this; this was his punishment.

Qin Yun felt weak, having spent all his energy on this last strike. He couldn't stop himself from collapsing or his mind from fading into obscurity. The last thing he remembered before he finally let himself go was hot tears falling on his face.