A Love Beyond Time

Chapter 29: The Abyss of Insanity

You're my heart and soul,

My precious one,

I'll keep you safe from harm,

My beautiful one

1,000 years ago—Northern Regions, The Celestial Kingdom

Yang Jian's gaze swept over the vast expanse of inky darkness, and he exhaled quietly. All seemed peaceful and unruffled. Perhaps, he thought hopefully, normalcy had finally resumed after the past millennia of chaotic unrest and upheaval, and the Kingdom could usher in a long overdue period of development and growth.

However, uneasiness crept up his spine when he recalled the strange disturbance in the northern regions six months ago, near the mysterious Kunlun Snow Mountains of the ancient immortal realm. Truth be told, it was nothing of genuine concern: just an unusually intense tremor that did not even affect the Celestial Kingdom.

Except Jade Fox Forest.

The outland had now crumpled to ruins overrun by weeds. It was a place synonymous with evil, darkness, and demons, somewhere that everyone avoided at all costs.

One of Yang Jian's foot soldiers patrolling the area reported that deep fissures and cracks had appeared on the forest grounds. But the poor young officer was too terrified to descend from his cloud to investigate. And since no aftermaths followed that phenomenon, none bothered to follow up.

Then something else happened two nights ago, once again in the Snow Mountains.

Eerie glows of purples and golds had appeared in the heart of the region, dancing and swirling in a ghostly dance before dissipating. Although the Mountains were too remote and far away from the Kingdom, the glows were brilliant enough to be seen by the residents and unsettling enough to create trepidation and commotion among them. Some wondered if they were linked to the earlier tremors.

The Jade Emperor, especially, was highly triggered by the glows. Yang Jian overheard from some gossiping Palace maids that the Monarch got so agitated that he nearly went into a frenzy and had to be sedated by the Imperial Physician. Ultimately, the Celestial Goddess ordered Yang Jian to investigate the occurrences.

But it was an impossible mission. Nobody could enter the Snow Mountains. It was surrounded by a mass of weird and complex spells that not even Lao Jun, their most talented magic weaver, could undo or break. And an impatient soldier who attempted to slice the flimsy-looking barricades got severely wounded by a powerful blast of energy.

But what truly unnerved everyone about the Mountains was the echoic, unearthly whisper that drifted into their ears on the howling winds.

"Who seeks entry into the Mountains?"

"General Yang! General Yang!"

Rapidly approaching footsteps brought Yang Jian back to the present, and he turned to find a flustered and severely wounded foot soldier stumbling towards him. The officer's face was ashen, and splotches of ruby red littered his uniform. Alarmed, Yang Jian hurried to catch the young male in his arms and demanded to know what happened.

An intruder was on a murderous rampage at the Imperial Military Headquarters.

===

1,000 years ago—The Celestial Kingdom, Celestial Soldiers Pavilion ( 天兵苑)

Upon hearing the dire news, the new Imperial Commander hurried back to the Headquarters and was confronted with a sight straight from Hell. Scarlet-splattered walls, damaged furniture, and broken corpses. All the soldiers had been brutally slaughtered, and the malachite-tiled floor was slippery with their blood.