Jingrui pushed herself to sit up when Prince Zhanying appeared before her.

Throughout the pool of bowing and wailing immortals, the Prince was the only one who stood tall. He stared out at the sky with no sign of respect towards the sighting of the Heavenly Son. Blood dripped from the tip of the sword he held out by his side, as he stood still, ready to fight.

"The First Prince of the Celestial Tribe," he muttered and a shadow enshrouded his face.

Jingrui's breath was shaky as she looked up at the tall figure of Prince Zhanying. "The Phantom Lord is the First Prince?"

Prince Zhanying watched the Dragon whirl in the sky, roaring and gleaming its black scales like the stars of the River of Heaven¹⁵. "That isn't right. The First Prince is dead."

Jingrui glanced up at the Phantom Lord's true form, and a vague memory of one of her endless history lessons with her master resurfaced in her.

The First Prince of Heaven, Yunyi, the Prince born with a supreme auspicious sign not seen since the Jade Emperor's reign. He was the blessing of the three realms, the balance of the polarity of Yin and Yang, the dragon that would sit atop all: a true heir of the throne.

A few generations back, there were three princes within Heaven: the former Emperor Yunyin, the Third Prince Yunru, and the First Prince Yunyi. Yunyi was the crown prince chosen by auspicious signs from birth, and his true form was the Heavenly Symbol: a five-clawed Dragon. But right before he took the throne, he mysteriously disappeared. People concluded that he was dead, and that was how the former Emperor Yunyin was able to take over the throne.

Jingrui's heart thumped as she watched the furious dragon infuse the brewing storm. Yunyi was alive, and Yunyi was the maniac Phantom Lord all along.

Her train of thought was shattered when the dragon growled and shot down from the sky. A slaughtering gust of wind blew, cutting and knocking over the men on the training ground. Leaves and twigs stirred from the ground and darted in the air like weapons.

Prince Zhanying grabbed her as he pulled her to his chest, shielding her with his sleeve. He strengthened the barrier around them when the dragon breathed out fire. As if Heaven was granting destruction, the people of Yihuai's army hollered in pain and bellowed for mercy. The smell of burnt flesh entered her nose, and she buried her face into the Prince's chest in fear.

"I am the Heavenly Crown Prince Yunyi, the rightful heir to the throne!" The Phantom Lord's laugh echoed throughout the mountain, taunting the burning army. Lightning flickered, thunder roared, and the earth shook.

Jingrui peered to look at the sizzling men, but Prince Zhanying placed his hand over her eyes to block her from it. It wasn't until the wind had died down, and ashes, dust, and dirt had fused into a thick mist, that he let go of her.

The battlefield that was once full of people was deserted of souls except for a few injured disciples, battered Xiao, and ashen Yuansong.

Jingrui coughed as she placed her sleeves over her nose to block the smell of burnt flesh. "If the Phantom Lord had been the first prince all this time, and with one sighting, he could end the war, why didn't he take his true form sooner?" she muttered, squinting through the smoke to examine the annihilated battlefield.

Zhanying pushed himself to stand, his eyes pervaded with darkness. "Because he knew that taking his true form was suicidal." His words held hard edges as he tilted his head up at the sky.

The black dragon circled the peak of the mountain as it began to release an unyielding amount of immortal essence. An adamant barrier was built, surrounding the Jade Dragon Mountain. At long last, the Dragon clashed down against the concrete floor right before her and Prince Zhanying, marking a deep crack with an impact that shook the Eight Pillars¹². Smoke rose from its black scales, and slowly, the Dragon turned back into a disfigured form of the Phantom Lord.

Prince Zhanying took a step back from the Phantom Lord's scorching form. "He already has wounds from the past caused by the one that blinded him. His flow of Qi was never stable, taking his true form would use up every ounce of his life. But, in order to save his sect. . ."

The Phantom Lord coughed out blood as he glared up at the dull sky. A croaking laugh choked from his throat. "With the barrier, Heaven will never be able to touch the Jade Dragon Mountain again. My disciples shall be safe." Slowly, he tilted his head to Prince Zhanying and flashed his bloody teeth. "Celestial Prince . . . come here."

Prince Zhanying refused to move an inch, and the Phantom Lord's smile died down, seeing the Prince's hesitation.

He sighed as he closed his eyes. "Even though you are not a biological royal, I am still your First Uncle by title. Come here."

Prince Zhanying rubbed his forehead, and with hesitant steps, he walked towards the Phantom Lord. Once he was right before the contorted body of the Phantom Lord, he cocked his head to the side. "How are you alive?"

The Phantom Lord gave a rigid chortle. "Soon, I won't be."

"You were meant to take the Heavenly throne as the rightful heir, how is it that my father took the throne while you are the Phantom Lord?"

There was an unyielding sadness in his eyes as he stared off into the red sky. "All these long years I've lived in hatred, Prince Zhanying. Yunyin wanted the throne, and I fell for his schemes. Remember the story of the bad guy I told you of in the main hall? That was my own brother, Yunyin. He chased me to the end of the horizon, blinded me, and tried to kill me until I fled here. From that time, I hated Heaven, because Heaven was no better than Hell. Within this Jade Dragon Mountain, I raised my disciples so that one day, I could create an army to take back what is rightfully mine. . ." He shook his head, and a sad smile came over his lips. "But now it's too late."

Prince Zhanying crouched in front of the Phantom Lord and grabbed his wrist to feel his pulse. "Your cultivation. . ."

"Don't bother, Celestial Prince, I've already used up every last ounce of my essence by taking my true form and creating a barrier. I will soon dissipate into ashes and return to nature, but. . ." Yunyi waved at Prince Zhanying to inch closer to him. Then he grabbed the Prince's hand, feeling him—an instinct of a blind man. His face flashed with a torrent of grief, and he shook his head. "All this time . . . I should have known."

Prince Zhanying looked up at the sky, a frown engraved his face. "I do not know what you are saying."

Yunyi chuckled. "You love denying everything, my Prince. You know it well within your heart." With a decaying smile, he waved out a scroll and a knife and placed it in Prince Zhanying's palm. "This knife is like an emblem of the Phantom Lord. I want you to take it as a token. And the scroll. . ."

Prince Zhanying took a deep breath, and slowly, he let the scroll roll. Although Jingrui couldn't see what was written within it, she knew it must hold a significance when the Prince's shoulders trembled.

Yunyi smiled as if the heavy burden in his heart had been lifted. A flock of birds flew across the sky as he stared heavenward emptily. "Take it, Zhanying, and don't fail me," he told Prince Zhanying as he blinked the tears in his eyes. "Mei, I will finally see you soon." The smile never left him as his eyes closed, and his body faded into a glimmering light, rising towards the bright blue sky cleared of the bloodshed and grudge that brought about the red dawn.

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15) River of Heaven: the milky way