Heaven’s Forsaken System

Chapter 24: The War Beyond Reality

The silence that followed the retreat of the intruders was an illusion. Shen Liang could feel it—the shifting presence just beyond the veil, the weight of countless eyes now fixed upon his world. The battle was over, but only for now. He had declared dominion over his creation, and the forces beyond had listened.

And they were deciding what to do next.

The envoy stood at his side, their celestial-abyssal aura pulsing in uneasy waves. "You forced them back, but that was only the first wave. You saw what they were—they were not soldiers. They were scouts."

Shen Liang's gaze did not waver. "Then next time, they won't leave."

The system pulsed, its presence flickering as it adjusted to the new reality. [System Notification: Existential Threat Level Escalated – Unknown Forces Mobilizing]

A crack ran through the sky, barely visible, but Shen Liang knew what it meant. The war he had been preparing for—the war he had unknowingly invited—had begun.

And this time, it was not just his world at stake. It was existence itself.

Shen Liang closed his eyes, stretching his awareness beyond the borders of his creation. Something vast was stirring. The rift that had sealed moments ago had left behind residual fractures in reality, and through them, he could sense what lay beyond.

An army. No, a force beyond armies.

The scouts had been nothing more than fragments of something far greater, something boundless. The whispers he had heard before had been echoes, distortions of voices that should never have reached his realm. Now, those voices had grown clearer, more unified.

They were coming.

The envoy shifted beside him, their golden-abyssal eyes narrowing. "They have never encountered something like you before. That makes them hesitant. But hesitation won't last."

Shen Liang smirked. "Then we prepare before they regain their confidence."

With a single thought, his world responded. The very foundation of his realm shifted, adapting to the new threat. The sky darkened, energy swirling in controlled storms, and the mountains at the edges of his reality rose higher, forming an impenetrable barrier against what lay beyond. Shen Liang was no longer just a cultivator. He was no longer just a ruler. He was a creator, and his creation would not be undone.

[System Notification: Defensive Protocols Implemented – Reality Stabilizing]

But it was not enough.

He had built a world free from celestial decree and abyssal hunger, yet it had no warriors, no sentinels. He could fight, but alone? Against an invasion that defied understanding?

No. He needed more.

He needed allies.

The envoy seemed to follow his thoughts. "There are remnants. Those who did not fit within Heaven's will, nor the Abyss' hunger. They exist in between, scattered. If you call them, some may answer."

Shen Liang considered this. He had spent his existence fighting against the forces that sought to control him. Now, he would have to become something else—not just a fighter, not just a rebel, but a leader.

Extending his hands, he let his will pulse outward, reaching across the fabric of existence. Calling.

[System Notification: Signal Sent – Awaiting Response]

The envoy inhaled sharply. "Something moves."

From the edge of his world, beyond the great walls he had forged, lights flickered in the void. Then shadows. Then figures—one after another, stepping from the fractured remains of what had once been bound by celestial and abyssal rule. Exiles. Wanderers. Lost gods and forsaken warriors.

The first to step forward was a woman draped in robes woven from silver flame. Her presence burned, yet did not consume. A celestial who had turned away from the heavens.

Next came a towering figure, clad in obsidian armor etched with markings long forgotten. An abyssal warlord who had abandoned destruction.

Then more. Cultivators who had reached the limits of their worlds and found nothing but chains. Beings who had glimpsed the truth of the cycle and chosen exile over servitude.

They knelt before him.

"You have created something new," the silver-flamed woman said. "And we will fight to defend it."

The envoy smirked. "Seems you're not alone after all."

Shen Liang looked at the gathering warriors, those cast aside by the old orders. They were not just allies. They were the first citizens of this new existence.

And together, they would stand against the storm to come.

The sky above cracked again.

The war had begun.