THE KING OF STARS

Chapter 70: THE ONE WHO SHOULD NOT EXIST

The first Throne descended from heaven.

The world broke beneath it.

Mountains collapsed into dust as golden law flooded the skies. Space itself bent around the divine figure, unable to fully withstand its existence. Every cloud above the continent evaporated instantly.

And still—

The Throne continued descending.

Not quickly.

Inevitably.

Yun could finally see it clearly now.

Humanoid. Radiant. Featureless.

Its body was not flesh, but condensed heavenly principle shaped into form. Countless scriptures rotated around it in orbit, each character large enough to crush cities.

The moment its feet touched the sky above the ruins—

Every cultivator across thousands of miles felt it.

Sect formations activated. Ancient beasts fled underground. Sleeping ancestors opened their eyes in terror.

The heavens had sent an executioner.

The Throne looked directly at Yun.

"Anomaly confirmed."

Its voice carried no sound this time.

Reality itself spoke for it.

"Authorization transferred."

The remaining eight Thrones above the world raised their hands simultaneously.

Golden light converged downward.

Toward the descending figure.

Yun's synchronization marks exploded in pain.

The Root reacted violently beneath him.

Silver roots burst through the collapsing chamber walls in massive torrents, wrapping around Yun protectively while the black tide surged upward from below in response.

The Devourer watched silently.

Then it spoke.

CAREFUL, LITTLE HEIR.

Its voice rolled through existence itself.

THEY ARE GIVING IT A NAME.

The silver-robed woman's expression changed instantly.

"No…"

Shen Yu looked upward sharply.

"They can do that?"

Her answer came strained.

"They should not be able to this early."

The descending Throne began changing.

Its previously featureless form stabilized as enormous quantities of heavenly law poured into it from above. A face gradually emerged beneath the divine radiance.

Cold. Perfect. Merciless.

Then armor formed across its body.

Not crafted armor.

Authority made visible.

Yun suddenly understood something instinctively.

Before now, the Thrones had only been extensions of heavenly will.

But this—

This was heaven creating an individual.

A true executioner.

The newly formed figure opened its eyes.

Gold flooded the world.

"I am Seraph of the Ninth Judgment."

Its gaze settled onto Yun.

"Heir of the Root."

The pressure doubled instantly.

Yun coughed blood.

The silver marks beneath his skin burned so violently it felt like his body was tearing apart from the inside. Threads erupted uncontrollably around him, silver lines spreading through the air like fractures in reality.

Seraph noticed immediately.

"He synchronizes beyond acceptable limits."

The remaining Thrones answered together from the heavens above.

"Correction authorized."

The world darkened.

Yun felt death approaching again.

Absolute death.

But this time—

Something inside him responded.

Not fear.

Anger.

A sudden pulse erupted from deep within the Root beneath the ruins.

The heartbeat returned.

Massive. Ancient. Furious.

BOOM.

The entire underground ruin exploded outward.

The mountain above them split apart as colossal silver roots burst into the open world for the first time in countless ages.

Sunlight poured downward through collapsing skies.

Yun was thrown upward with the others as the underground chamber disintegrated completely beneath the awakening Root.

Then he saw it.

The outside world.

Or what remained of it.

The sky above the continent had become gold.

Nine heavenly gates hung across the heavens while storms of divine scripture spread from horizon to horizon. Entire mountain ranges were collapsing beneath the pressure of descending law.

And emerging from the earth beneath them—

The Root.

Not fully.

Only a fraction.

Yet even that fraction eclipsed kingdoms.

Silver branches pierced the sky while roots spread across the land like living rivers. Ancient runes burned across its surface with impossible brilliance.

The world itself was remembering something buried.

Cultivators across distant sects stared upward in horror as the colossal tree began rising once more.

The age of myths was returning.

Seraph looked at the awakening Root without emotion.

"Threat level increased."

Then he raised one hand toward Yun.

"Sentence: Nullification."

The world stopped.

Yun's senses vanished instantly.

No sound. No light. No movement.

Only Seraph remained visible.

The heavenly executioner stepped forward through frozen reality until he stood directly before Yun.

"You should not exist."

Yun tried to move.

Couldn't.

Even thought felt slow beneath the crushing authority surrounding him.

Seraph studied him carefully.

Then his expression changed slightly.

Confusion.

"…Incomplete?"

The heavenly being placed one glowing hand against Yun's chest.

Instantly—

The silver marks exploded with blinding light.

Seraph froze.

For the first time since descending—

The executioner looked shocked.

Because beneath Yun's heartbeat—

Something else answered.

Not the Root.

Older.

The heavenly law around Seraph destabilized violently.

Golden cracks spread across his arm.

"No…" he whispered.

Yun suddenly saw it too.

Deep within his own synchronization threads—

Hidden beneath the silver—

Was black.

Tiny strands of endless darkness intertwined with the Root itself.

The Devourer's voice echoed softly across frozen reality.

YOU CARRY BOTH SIDES.

Seraph staggered backward.

Impossible fear entered his eyes.

"The convergence already began…"

Frozen reality shattered instantly.

Time resumed violently.

Seraph retreated upward at explosive speed while golden alarms erupted across the heavens themselves.

The Thrones reacted immediately.

"CORRUPTION DETECTED."

"ROOT BREACH ESCALATING."

"DUAL SYNCHRONIZATION IMPOSSIBLE."

The Devourer rose further from the abyss below the broken continent.

And now—

It was smiling.

The silver-robed woman stared at Yun in genuine horror.

"You touched the black spear…"

Yun's stomach dropped.

The moment from earlier replayed in his mind.

When he had stopped the void spear with his bare hand.

When the darkness recoiled from him.

Not because he resisted it.

Because part of it had entered him.

Shen Yu looked like he wanted to say something.

Then stopped.

His Restriction Brand suddenly exploded with light.

Golden chains erupted violently across the sky around him as heavenly law reacted to Yun's condition.

Shen Yu grimaced sharply.

"…Damn it."

Yun looked toward him.

"What's happening?"

Shen Yu slowly raised his eyes toward the Thrones above.

And for the first time—

Yun saw genuine killing intent from him.

Not toward the Devourer.

Toward heaven.

The chains across Shen Yu's body began breaking.

One by one.

Then Shen Yu spoke the words that changed everything.

"I remember who I was."