Chapter 1
I was Fanyin, an Immortal Lady born from the voices of all creation.
From the moment I came into being, I was a natural deity charged with governing every rhythm and melody beneath heaven.
Even in the immortal realm, there were only a handful of gods like me. As if that were not honor enough, I had been born with a Glazed Immortal Bone. It made my body as clear as crystal, pure within and without. If cultivated to perfection, it would render my immortal form indestructible and grant me a lifespan equal to heaven itself.
Then, the previous night, I had a dream.
In that dream, someone as exalted as I was reduced to a foil for a mortal woman. She stole my betrothed. My authority over all music passed into her hands. Everyone I trusted abandoned me, and in the end, my own betrothed carved the immortal bone from my body.
I was forced to watch as the mortal woman replaced her bone with mine, took my man by the arm, and seated herself upon the throne of Heavenly Empress.
And I died coughing blood.
“Like hell!”
I woke still furious, the curse bursting out before I could stop it. The Hall of Celestial Music trembled in sympathy with my rage.
“Oh, good heavens. What is it this time, my precious menace?”
Qin Yu, one of the sisters who shared my hall, rushed in and gathered me against her chest, gently smoothing my long hair. Her face was so alive, her embrace so warm, that my eyes nearly filled with tears.
“I dreamed all of you died,” I mumbled into her shoulder.
Qin Yu rolled her eyes and pried me away from her bosom. “What an unlucky thing to say. Have you forgotten that High God Zeyue returns from his mortal trial today?”
Hearing his name so soon after that long dream left me dazed. The hatred I had felt while he cut out my bone had not yet faded. Instead of my usual excitement, I merely said, “I know.”
Qin Yu stared at me as if the sun had risen in the west. “Did I hear that correctly? High God Zeyue, the man you have been pining for, is coming back, and that is all the reaction you have?”
“Weren’t you calling him Brother Zeyue every other breath last night?”
I answered her teasing with a glare. After a moment’s thought, I stopped the hand urging me to dress.
“Qin Yu, call Pipa Ge, Yuan Xiao, Meng Sheng, and the others. I have something to tell all of you.”
In my dream, the women of the Hall of Celestial Music had only spoken up for me and tried to save me. For that, they were branded the vicious supporting character’s lackeys and killed one after another.
If the dream was a warning granted by heaven, then this time I would not let my sisters walk into battle unprepared.
Soon, beautiful women of every kind sat in a circle in the main hall, listening to their mistress recount her dream from the great bed at its center.
By the time I finished, my throat was dry. I drained the cup of immortal dew Qin Yu handed me.
My sisters finally stirred from their shock, each one outraged.
“He dared falsely accuse you?”
“He dared humiliate you?”
“She dared frame you?”
“He dared carve out your immortal bone?”
Several voices rang out at once. Qin Yu and the others exchanged looks, then snarled in perfect unison, “Those two bastards!”
Warmth spread through my chest. Even though it had only been a dream, my sisters stood firmly at my side. If the dream was real, I would protect them even if it meant mutual destruction.
We put our heads together and finally agreed to visit the Immortal Ascension Terrace. That was where the entire story had begun.
In the dream, High God Zeyue returned from his mortal trial with the heroine he had met below. We would see for ourselves whether my dream could be trusted.
By the time we arrived, radiance had flooded the terrace. Immortal mist surged as a tall figure appeared. The surrounding immortals bowed and called in unison, “We welcome High God Zeyue home from his trial.”
When the light faded, I saw the face that had been absent for so long. He had strong brows, deep-set eyes, and a high, straight nose. Ornate black armor covered his body, revealing the battle aspect of a war god. Even in an immortal realm crowded with beauties, his face and figure were exceptional.
Then a bright voice piped up. “Wow! So this is the immortal realm.”
My pupils contracted. A head peeked out from behind Zeyue’s black armor.
The young woman wore a pale green dress. She was delicately pretty, her expression curious yet timid. The instant our eyes met, she recoiled behind Zeyue as if my gaze had burned her.
Zeyue frowned at me in displeasure. I remained frozen until pain bit into my palms. Without realizing it, I had clenched my fists hard enough to nearly pierce the skin.
My sisters and I exchanged grim looks, all conveying the same message.
The dream was almost certainly real.