The students stood in stunned silence, still processing the immense knowledge Zui Tian had just shared about the Heavenly Coil and the Godly Coil. Each stage seemed to stretch farther into the realms of impossibility—a journey that would take lifetimes, perhaps even eons, to complete. The sheer scale of it all weighed on their minds, yet the promise of power and transcendence beyond anything they had ever imagined ignited a new determination within each of them.
But then Zui Tian, his expression turning more solemn than they had ever seen, held up his hand, calling for silence.
“There is another path,” Zui began, his voice measured and low. “A path beyond the Godly Coil. I’m only going to mention it briefly, because to reveal too much could destroy your chances of ever reaching it.”
The room tensed. Every student held their breath. What could possibly lie beyond the power to command infinite space, eternal life, and the very laws of existence?
“This,” Zui continued, “is the Endless Coil.”
The words seemed to hang in the air like a weight, settling into the minds of the students with an almost tangible presence. Zui let the silence linger for a moment, watching as their eyes widened in both curiosity and fear.
“The Endless Coil is unlike anything you’ve learned so far,” Zui said softly. “Once you reach it, there is no need for cultivation techniques, no need for divine arts or mastery of external energy. Instead, your Will becomes the only force in the cosmos. You think it, and it becomes reality. You speak it, and the Heavens themselves obey.”
He paused, letting that sink in.
“At this level, you don’t need to manipulate energy or learn arts—you are the energy, and your words shape the very fabric of existence. This is a realm where thought creates, and Will commands the entirety of reality. It is the domain of beings who have transcended even the highest gods.”
The students felt a chill race down their spines. They had barely wrapped their minds around the power of World Gods, let alone the Godly Coil. The idea of an existence where reality bent to thought and Will seemed so far beyond their comprehension that it bordered on terrifying.
Zui Tian gave them a small smile, one that spoke of both understanding and amusement. “I know it sounds impossible. And that’s why I’m not going to tell you much more about it. If I were to explain too much, the weight of that knowledge could ruin your path forward. You need to discover it for yourselves, in time.”
He then raised his hand, the air around him shimmering as though reality itself was bending to his Will.
“But… I can give you a taste. A glimpse of what lies beyond.”
Zui’s voice lowered, each word spoken slowly, deliberately, as if summoning something from beyond the reaches of the cosmos itself.
“Heaven Appear.”
The air in the room shifted, and suddenly, the very fabric of existence trembled. The students felt it immediately—an overwhelming presence, ancient and incomprehensible, as vast and powerful as the cosmos itself, materialized next to Zui Tian.
A being of shimmering light and boundless energy appeared, its form ever-changing, yet stable. It was as though the entirety of the Heavens—the very cosmic laws, stars, and realms—had been condensed into this one radiant entity. The light it emitted wasn’t blinding, but it filled the room with a weight so heavy, so overpowering, that the students felt their knees buckle beneath the sheer force of it.
This being… it wasn’t just powerful. It was power. It was the embodiment of the universe itself.
The students could hardly breathe. Every atom of their being screamed in reverence, and even the space around them seemed to bow to the presence of this Heavenly Being. The energy radiating from it was unlike anything they had ever felt. It wasn’t chaos, nor order—it was simply everything and nothing all at once.
Zui Tian stood calmly beside the being, his expression relaxed as though this display of cosmic power were the most natural thing in the world.
“This,” Zui said quietly, “is the Heaven. The very laws of reality, the forces that bind the cosmos together, summoned here because I willed it. This is just a taste of what the Endless Coil holds.”
He gestured toward the being, which pulsed with the energy of creation and destruction. “At this level, there is no more need for the manipulation of energy. You don’t need techniques or complex arts. You simply will something into existence, and it is. The universe bends to your presence, your Will, your existence. Words are no longer just words—they become the very forces that shape reality.”
The students stared, wide-eyed, their minds struggling to grasp what they were seeing. The sheer weight of the Heavenly Being’s presence was almost too much to bear, and the fact that Zui Tian had summoned it with a single phrase—Heaven Appear—shook them to their core.
Zui’s voice broke the silence once more. “As you ascend through the Heavenly Coil and eventually the Godly Coil, you’ll begin to understand what it means to shape existence with your Will. But know this: the Endless Coil is not something you can rush toward. It requires a level of understanding, patience, and self-mastery that few ever reach.”
He gave them a long, searching look. “The path to Heavenly Being is beyond even the highest gods. It is the power of words that create realms and realities, shaping existence to your Endless Presence. But if you rush, if you seek it before you’re ready, it will destroy you.”
Zui Tian then glanced at the radiant, cosmic entity beside him and gave a small nod. With that gesture, the Heavenly Being began to dissipate, its light fading back into the ether, the overwhelming pressure in the room lifting like a veil.
The students gasped, some of them collapsing to the ground from the sheer tension they had been holding in their bodies.
Zui chuckled lightly, the tension in the room dissipating as he reverted to his usual lazy self. “There. Now you’ve seen it. Just a glimpse of what lies ahead if you follow this path far enough. But don’t think about it too much right now. Focus on mastering your current level. There’s no point in dreaming of controlling realms if you can’t even control your own inner world.”
Kai Ren, still recovering from his ascent to World God, stared at Zui, wide-eyed. “You… you just willed that into existence. The very Heavens themselves…”
Zui shrugged, taking another swig of his flask. “When you reach the Endless Coil, it’s all about Will. You’ll understand when you get there.”
Mei Li, still pale from the experience, asked, “Will we really be able to do that one day?”
Zui’s gaze softened. “That depends on you. The Endless Coil is a long way off, but if you keep walking the path, if you master yourself, your world, and your Dao, then yes—you’ll get there.”
The room fell silent again as the students absorbed the gravity of what they had witnessed. They had been shown a glimpse of power beyond gods, a power that could shape the universe with a thought. It was an exhilarating yet terrifying prospect.
Zui Tian stretched his arms lazily, the moment of seriousness passing. “Alright, kids. That’s enough cosmic knowledge for one day. Go get some rest. You’ve got plenty to think about.”
The students left, their minds swirling with the possibilities of the future. They had tasted a power that few could even comprehend, but the road ahead was long, and the lessons Zui Tian had imparted would take them lifetimes to fully grasp.
And as they left the classroom, one thought echoed in all their minds: The Endless Coil awaited those brave enough to walk the path, but only the truly worthy would reach it.
The air in Dragon City was strangely serene. It had been weeks since Zui Tian’s students had witnessed the demonstration of the Endless Coil, and in that time, the quiet hum of routine had settled over the academy. The students were back to their training, pushing themselves in both body and mind, but there was a noticeable shift in the air—a feeling of anticipation, as if something momentous was just beyond the horizon.
Zui Tian sat on the edge of the Celestial Tavern’s rooftop, staring out at the bustling city below. His tattered red and white robes flapped gently in the wind as he took another lazy swig from his endless wine flask. His eyes, though half-lidded, glimmered with a strange clarity as he watched the mortals, immortals, and gods alike go about their lives.
“Everything is so still,” Zui muttered to himself, his voice barely audible over the wind. He wasn’t accustomed to peace. Not in the way others craved it. For Zui Tian, quiet was the sign of something brewing—a storm waiting to burst forth from the calm.
The tavern’s Godly Manager, known to the legends as Pan Gu, quietly approached and sat down beside him. The enormous presence of Pan Gu felt contained, like a tightly coiled spring, ready to release. His gaze, however, was soft, focused on Zui Tian.
“You sense it too,” Pan Gu said, his deep voice cutting through the evening air. It wasn’t a question, but a statement of fact.
Zui Tian sighed, his hand loosely holding the flask. “It’s been too quiet lately. The students are advancing well, sure, but something feels off. Ever since I showed them the Endless Coil, there’s been a shift.”
Pan Gu nodded. “The world trembles when new gods are born. And you’ve sparked something in them that will reverberate across the cosmos.”
Zui Tian took another sip of his wine, letting the silence linger for a moment before speaking again. “It’s not just the students, though. There’s something deeper. Like a crack, hidden beneath the surface.”
“Do you think it’s the Abyss?” Pan Gu asked, his voice careful.
Zui shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. The Abyss is always stirring, but it feels… different this time. Like something is waiting.”
The Godly Manager leaned back, his eyes narrowing as he contemplated Zui’s words. “There are things older than us, Zui. Things that remember the chaos before we were born, beings that have been watching, waiting for an opportunity. We’ve seen glimpses of them before.”
Zui let out a lazy chuckle. “Yeah, well, I’m not too worried about ancient beings. I’ve been around long enough to know that they either sleep forever or wake up angry. Either way, we’ll deal with it.”
Pan Gu smiled at that, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Still, the Sea of Nihility has been quiet, and that’s never a good sign. And I’ve heard whispers—unsettling rumors of Forgotten Realms stirring. Realms we thought were lost in the folds of time.”
Zui stopped mid-swig, lowering his flask. “Forgotten Realms?”
Pan Gu nodded, his expression darkening. “Realms abandoned by both gods and demons alike. Realms where laws don’t apply. If those realms are stirring, then something is drawing them back into existence.”
Zui Tian’s face grew serious for the first time in days. “That’s not good.”
“It’s worse than not good,” Pan Gu said gravely. “If those realms reawaken, it could mean the return of powers and beings that even we’ve forgotten about.”
Zui remained silent for a moment, processing the gravity of what Pan Gu was saying. “And we’re just sitting here, watching it happen.”
Pan Gu’s eyes flicked toward the horizon. “Sometimes all we can do is wait for the storm to arrive.”
As the two gods sat in silence, the sounds of the city below them faded into the background. The peace that had settled over the realms felt fragile, as though the very air was trembling with the anticipation of something catastrophic.
Back at the Academy, the students were finishing their day of training. Kai Ren sat on the steps of the academy, staring up at the stars that had begun to dot the evening sky. His inner world was still adjusting to the newfound power he had gained after ascending to World God status. The seed of darkness that now resided within him pulsed steadily, and the vast expanse of his inner cosmos seemed to stretch endlessly with each passing day.
Beside him, Mei Li and Jian Feng were deep in conversation, though their voices were hushed. The events of the past weeks had left them all with a sense of unease. While they had grown more powerful, the looming sense that something big—something terrible—was coming weighed heavily on them.
“Do you think Zui’s been acting different?” Mei asked, her voice soft.
Kai glanced over at her, his brow furrowing. “Yeah, now that you mention it. He’s been serious. And I mean serious. That’s not like him.”
“Maybe he knows something we don’t,” Jian Feng suggested, his tone quiet.
“Whatever it is,” Kai said, leaning back and folding his arms behind his head, “we’ll find out soon enough.”
As night settled over Dragon City, Zui Tian continued to sit on the tavern roof, watching the stars. The tranquility of the moment was deceptive. Beneath the stillness, he could feel the worlds shifting. Something was coming. Something ancient, something powerful.
And when it arrived, the peace they had known would be shattered.
Pan Gu stood up slowly, his massive frame casting a long shadow across the rooftop. “We should prepare.”
Zui nodded, though his eyes remained on the distant stars. “Yeah. We should.”
With a final swig of his wine, Zui Tian stood, stretching his arms over his head. His usual grin returned, but there was a sharpness behind it now, a readiness that hadn’t been there before.
“Let’s hope the students are ready for what’s coming,” Zui said, his voice filled with a mixture of anticipation and uncertainty. “Because when the storm hits, it’s going to be big.”
And with that, the two gods vanished into the night, leaving the city behind as they went to prepare for whatever was about to unfold.
The storm was coming. And the World Gods, the students of Dragon City, and the entire Infinite Immortal Realms would have to face it head-on.