The Gate of Eternity Curse of Heaven

EMPEROR OF DARKNESS

Six hundred years before Zhang Wei met Mei Lin, he was just a young soldier at the forefront of the shadow army. However, there was something different in the way he controlled the darkness-a natural talent that astonished even the elders.

That night, in the midst of the War of a Thousand Shadows, Zhang Wei stood alone facing ten thousand Light Realm warriors. The elders had ordered the troops to retreat, but Zhang Wei knew-if this defense collapsed, the entire Shadow Realm would fall.

“Retreat, Zhang Wei!” shouted his commander. “This is an order!”

But Zhang Wei stood his ground. His pitch-black eyes stared at the approaching enemy. In his hand, an obsidian sword flashed with a never-before-seen dark energy.

“One life for a million lives,” he whispered to himself. “That's a fair trade.”

What happened next became the stuff of legend. Zhang Wei didn't just fight-he became one with the darkness itself. Every swing of his sword created a wave of shadows that destroyed hundreds of enemies. The darkness moved like a living creature, obeying his every command.

The Emperor at the time, Huang Zhihao, watched the battle from the Watchtower. “That boy,” he said to his advisor, ”he's not just another soldier.”

“Your Majesty is right,” the advisor replied. “There is something in his blood... something ancient.”

After that victory, Zhang Wei rose through the ranks quickly. But it wasn't promotion he sought-there was something greater haunting him. In his deepest meditations, he often had visions of a dark future, of a threat far greater than the Light Realm.

Two hundred years passed. Zhang Wei, now a general, led an expedition to the forbidden region-a place where the realms intersect. It was there that he discovered an ancient scroll that changed everything.

“Prophecy of the Nine Gates,” he read the ancient inscription. “When the nine realms are on the brink of destruction, a child will be born from the crossing of the realms...”

Emperor Huang Zhihao died not long after-without an heir. The Imperial Council was divided in a power struggle. But Zhang Wei, with the wisdom he gained from the ancient scrolls, chose to remain neutral.

“Power is not the goal,” he told his followers. “We have a greater task.”

But fate had other plans. One by one, the ruling candidates proved incapable of fully controlling the forces of darkness. Only Zhang Wei had a deep understanding of the essence of shadows.

“Perhaps it is time,” said Elder Yuan, who was still young at the time. “Our realm needs a leader who is not only strong, but also wise.”

Zhang Wei's appointment as Emperor was not a celebration-it was an ancient, almost forgotten ritual. He had to enter the Cave of Supreme Consciousness, a place where the most intense darkness gathered.

“If you survive,” said the eldest Elder, ”then your throne is destiny.”

Zhang Wei spent nine days in absolute darkness. When he came out, his eyes had changed-no longer merely black, but containing hidden galaxies within them.

“What did you see?” the elders asked.

“Destruction,” Zhang Wei replied. “And hope. Both come from directions we do not expect.”

Years passed. Under Zhang Wei's leadership, the Shadow Realm entered a golden era. Peace with the Realm of Light was achieved-something that was once thought impossible.

But Zhang Wei knew this was only the beginning. His meeting with Mei Lin, the birth of Xiao Yingmei-all were part of a bigger plan.

Now, standing in the secret meeting room, facing the elders plotting his overthrow, Zhang Wei smiled. They did not know that he had calculated their every move.

“You speak of betrayal,” he said calmly. “But have you ever asked, why would a commander-in-chief willingly trade absolute power for an uncertain fate?”

Li Tianshen, who stood beside her, nodded slowly. They both knew-this wasn't about power. This was about the survival of the nine realms.

Xiao Yingmei, still hidden in the shadows, began to understand. Her father was not just an emperor or a commander. He was the keeper of a secret that had waited thousands of years to be revealed.

“Perhaps it is time,” Zhang Wei said, his eyes looking right at where Xiao Yingmei was hiding, ”to tell the true story of the Nine Gates Prophecy.”

The secrets of Zhang Wei's origins are tucked away in a story older than the realm itself. Long before his birth, his bloodline was already connected to cosmic mysteries beyond ordinary understanding.

Nine thousand years before Zhang Wei was born, a realm explorer named Chen Wuying discovered an artifact hidden on the border between darkness and nothingness. The artifact-a black crystal that beat like a heart-contained the memories of the vanished realms.

“Their blood will flow in a certain bloodline,” an ancient guardian whispered to Chen Wuying. “Every thousand years, an heir will be born who can read the language of the deepest darkness.”

When Zhang Wei was born, his mother-an old shadow priestess-noticed something different. On the night of his birth, the stars in the sky of the shadow realm formed an unusual pattern-a constellation not recorded in any history.

“My son,” his mother whispered in the middle of the night, ”your blood flows from a source older than time itself.”

Zhang Wei's power was not merely inherited-it was the manifestation of a cosmic plan. Every battle, every decision he made, seemed to have been arranged in an intricate knot of fate.

The Nine Gates Prophecy, which he found in the forbidden territory, was actually a secret map. Not just a prophecy, but hidden instructions to save the realms from total destruction.

“Your daughter,” Elder Yuan told him one night, ”is the final key. Not just an heir, but a bearer of balance.”

Xiao Yingmei, listening to the conversation from the shadows, felt a strange tremor. Something in her blood stirred-as if an ancient memory was awakening from its long sleep.

Li Tianshen, who had been watching from a distance, finally stepped forward. “It is time,” he told Zhang Wei, ”to reveal the truth about Mei Lin.”

The secret about her mother-a mysterious being from the intermediate realm-would be the final key in this cosmic puzzle.

“Princess,” Zhang Wei said, looking right at the hiding Xiao Yingmei, ”it's about time you found out who you really are.”

A great secret was about to be revealed-something that would change everything.

The room remained silent after Zhang Wei spoke his sentence. The five elders present looked at each other, trying to read the hidden intent behind his words.

Li Tianshen stepped forward, his figure filling the room with an energy that was hard to describe. “The Nine Gates Prophecy,” he repeated, ”is not just a myth. It is a hidden map to the balance of the realm.”

Xiao Yingmei felt something stir within her. The shadows around her began to move on their own-as if alive, as if they had consciousness.

“The nine realms,” Zhang Wei continued, ”are not just separate places. They are part of a complex whole. Each realm is an organ in the great body of the universe.”

Elder Feng, who had been the most vehemently opposed to Zhang Wei, finally spoke. “Explain.”

Zhang Wei smiled-a smile that contained hundreds of years of hidden knowledge.

“Every thousand years,” he said slowly, ”there will be a time when the nine realms are at their weakest point of balance. At that time, a child will be born-a child who is able to bridge the realm boundaries.”

His eyes looked at Xiao Yingmei, who was still hidden.

“That child,” he whispered, ”is my daughter.”

A great secret began to unfold-something that would change everything.