The Gate of Eternity Curse of Heaven

THE GATES OF HEAVEN

A pair of golden eyes gazed up at the ancient scroll spread out before him. Elder Wei Xuan, with his white robes fluttering gently in the heavenly breeze, let his gnarled fingers trace the silvery glowing characters. Around him, the Nine Tier Crystal Hall reflected the light from the waterfall of light that flowed endlessly in the distance.

“Master,” the voice of Zhao Ming, a young disciple with eyes filled with curiosity, broke the silence. “Why should there be a separation between the heavenly realm and the darkness?”

Wei Xuan lifted his gaze from the scroll. His golden eyes implied the wisdom of thousands of years. In the distance, a red cloud formation began to move unnaturally, as if giving a sign.

“Balance, Zhao Ming,” he replied in a deep voice that echoed in the crystal hall. “But your question comes at the right time. Today, red clouds are gathering in the east-a sign that something has disturbed the balance that has been maintained for thousands of years.”

Wei Xuan rose from his seat, walking towards the crystal window that revealed a breathtaking view of the Heavenly Realm. Palaces floated gracefully among the clouds, connected by shimmering bridges of light. However, his eyes focused on a single point in the distance-a tower that rose up through the highest clouds.

“In that tower,” Wei Xuan pointed, ”our War General, Li Tianshen, is preparing for a realm border inspection. He is our strongest protector, the greatest warrior the Heavenly Realm has ever born in the past thousand years.”

Zhao Ming nodded respectfully. Who didn't know Li Tianshen? His figure was the stuff of legend-a god of war who was said to be able to destroy mountains with a single swing of his sword.

“But,” Wei Xuan continued, his tone turning serious, ”even the greatest power can be shaken by something stronger than a sword or a heart-spell.”

The elder returned to his desk, opening another, older-looking scroll. “Thousands of years ago, our ancestors created the Gate of Eternity-not simply a portal or barrier, but a mechanism that maintains the balance between light and darkness. Each realm has its own power, Zhao Ming. The Celestial Realm with its light and wisdom, the Dark Realm with its shadows and mystery.”

“But isn't darkness evil, Master?” asked Zhao Ming innocently.

Wei Xuan smiled faintly. “Darkness is not evil, just as light is not absolute goodness. The two are complementary forces. Without shadows, how can we appreciate light? Without night, how can we look forward to dawn?”

Suddenly, a loud bang sounded in the distance. Wei Xuan and Zhao Ming rushed to the window. At the realm border, flashes of black and white energy collided fiercely.

“The border is turbulent again,” Wei Xuan muttered. “Li Tianshen must already be there.”

At the realm border, the battle was raging. Li Tianshen, with his gleaming golden armor and dazzling light sword, was leading the heavenly army against a surprise attack from the Dark Realm. However, something was different in this battle.

On the opposing side, a woman with long black hair and fiery red eyes led the army of darkness. Xiao Yingmei, the eldest daughter of the Dark Emperor, was famous for her deadly shadow sword dance.

The two army leaders met in the center of the battlefield. The sword of light and the sword of shadow clashed, creating waves of energy that shook both realms. However, in the midst of the fierce battle, something unexpected happened.

Their eyes met.

In that instant, time seemed to stop. Li Tianshen, for the first time in his thousands of years of life, felt his heart beat irregularly. Xiao Yingmei, who had only known darkness, saw a light he had never imagined in his opponent's eyes.

The battle ended without a clear winner. Both armies retreated to their respective realms, but the seeds had been planted. In the following weeks, secret meetings took place at the realm border. Li Tianshen and Xiao Yingmei met in a neutral zone, initially under the pretext of peace negotiations.

“You know this is off limits,” Xiao Yingmei said one night, as they met in a crystal cave on the realm border.

Li Tianshen nodded. “It's like light and shadow can't come together.”

“But what if that's exactly what both realms need?” Yingmei whispered. “True balance, not absolute separation.”

Their love blossomed in secrecy, like a flower blooming in the gap between light and shadow. Every encounter was a challenge to ancient law, every touch a betrayal of their respective realms.

In the Crystal Hall, Wei Xuan sensed a change in the energy flow of the cosmos. The ancient scrolls before him began to react, the characters glowing brighter than usual.

“Master,” the faithful Zhao Ming observed this change. “What's wrong with these scrolls?”

Wei Xuan stared at the glowing ancient writing. “The ancient prophecy speaks of a time when light and shadow will try to unite. 'When the god of war falls in love with the princess of darkness, the gates will shake, and the forbidden will be born.'”

Meanwhile, in the palace of the Dark Realm, the Dark Emperor began to smell suspicious signs from his daughter. Xiao Yingmei, who had always been punctual in her reports about the border, was now frequently late. Her bloodshot eyes no longer radiated hatred towards the Heavenly Realm like they used to.

“Princess Yingmei,” called the Emperor one day. “What are you hiding from your father?”

Yingmei bowed deeply, hiding her growing belly beneath her black robes. “Nothing, my father. I'm just thinking of a new strategy to deal with the Heavenly Realm.”

The Dark Emperor, with his piercing red eyes, looked at his daughter intently. “Do not forget who you are, my daughter. The blood of darkness runs in your veins. Light is our enemy since the beginning of time.”

In the Heavenly Realm, Li Tianshen was also facing his own pressures. The elders began to question his change in more lenient attitude towards the Dark Realm. Some even began to suspect treason.

“General Li,” Wei Xuan called out to him one day. “The red clouds are appearing more and more frequently. The balance of the realm is in danger. As the protector of the realm, what will you do?”

Li Tianshen, with his unwavering dignity, replied, “I will do what is best for both realms, Elder Wei.”

Wei Xuan caught the hidden meaning in those words. “Be careful, General. Sometimes what we think is best can actually bring destruction.”

But the warning came too late. Xiao Yingmei was already pregnant-something that should have been impossible between beings of light and darkness. The baby in her womb was an anomaly, a first in the history of the realm.

One night, when the red moon hung low in the sky, Yingmei met Li Tianshen with a pale face. “They know,” she whispered tremblingly. “My father has sent assassins to track me down.”

Li Tianshen hugged her tightly. “We must leave. There is a hidden place among the realms-a gray zone that no one can reach.”

“But what about our child's destiny?” asked Yingmei, her hand rubbing her growing belly. “What will he be? Not light, not darkness.”

“He will be a bridge,” Li Tianshen replied confidently. “Proof that light and shadow can come together.”

But fate said otherwise. That very night, the combined forces of both realms attacked. Their betrayal had been fully exposed. In the midst of the battle, Wei Xuan appeared with an ancient scroll in his hand.

“Stop it!” he cried. “What you have done could destroy the balance of the universe!”

But it was too late. The colliding energies of the two realms created a violent storm. Li Tianshen and Xiao Yingmei, with the last of their strength, created a barrier around them.

“Our child must live,” Yingmei whispered amidst the chaos. “He is the last hope for true peace.”

Li Tianshen nodded. With a final gesture, they combined their powers-light and shadow came together in perfect harmony to protect the unborn life in Yingmei's womb.

Wei Xuan, witnessing all this, recited the last part of the ancient prophecy: “From forbidden love will be born the balancer, half light half shadow, who will bear the weight of the balance of the realm on his shoulders.”

That night, the sky cried out with a meteor shower, marking the coming birth-the birth of Lin Fengtian, the child of light and shadow, the destiny that would change the universe.

In the Crystal Hall, Zhao Ming listened to this story with teary eyes. “Then what happened to them, Master?”

Wei Xuan closed the last scroll carefully. “Li Tianshen and Xiao Yingmei disappeared that night, but their son survived. He grew up in seclusion, not accepted by either realm, but carrying within him the potential to unite what had been separated since the beginning of time.”

“Does that mean the separation of the realms was wrong, Master?”

Wei Xuan gazed deep into the darkness beyond the crystal window. “There is nothing truly wrong or right in this universe, Zhao Ming. There is only balance... and love that dares to challenge fate itself.”

As dawn approached, the red clouds that had hung in the sky for months finally faded away, replaced by a soft golden light. Somewhere, between the realms of light and darkness, a baby was growing in its mother's womb-a baby that would change the destiny of the universe.

Lin Fengtian's story was just about to begin.