THE FALLEN CELESTIAL SOVEREIGN: I AWAKENED AFTER ELEVEN LIFE

Chapter 9: A God Walks Among Mortals

The first challenge found Mo Tianyu before he reached the foot of the mountain. A frightened hunter stumbled onto the narrow trail, carrying his injured son on his back. Blood soaked the boy's torn sleeve where the claws of a spirit beast had ripped through flesh. The hunter froze the moment he saw the young man with glowing golden eyes standing in the mist. Rumours claimed the Forbidden Spirit Mountain had awakened. Rumours also claimed demons now wandered its forests.

The hunter tightened his grip on a hunting spear."Stay back!"Mo Tianyu stopped several paces away. His Divine Sight revealed everything in a single glance. The father's fear.The boy's fading life. The poison is spreading through the child's meridians. The hunter was no threat. He was simply desperate."I won't harm you," Mo Tianyu said quietly. You came from the mountain..."

The hunter's voice trembled."People who enter never return."Mo Tianyu glanced back toward the towering peaks hidden behind swirling clouds."Then perhaps I'm the first. The child coughed violently. Dark blood stained his father's shoulder. Without another word, Mo Tianyu stepped forward. The hunter instinctively raised his spear."Don't touch him! If I don't," Mo Tianyu replied calmly, "he'll die before sunset."Something in his voice carried absolute certainty.

The hunter hesitated. That brief hesitation was enough. Mo Tianyu placed two fingers against the boy's wrist. Golden spiritual energy flowed into the child's body. The black poison recoiled as though terrified before dissolving completely. The torn flesh closed. The child's breathing steadied. Within moments, he opened his eyes."Father?"

The hunter stared in disbelief. He fell to his knees."You...""You're an immortal."Mo Tianyu withdrew his hand."No."He looked toward the distant horizon."Not yet."He resumed walking. Behind him, the hunter remained kneeling long after he disappeared into the trees. By nightfall, the story had already reached the nearest village. Stories grew faster than the truth. By the next morning, merchants arriving in Azure Cloud City carried wildly different versions of the same tale.

"A beggar survived the Forbidden Spirit Mountain."He healed a dying child with a single touch."They say his eyes shine like gold."I heard heavenly lightning obey him."I heard he stole an immortal treasure."

Within days, every tavern, marketplace, and cultivation hall buzzed with speculation. People began giving him names. The Beggar Immortal.The Golden-Eyed Youth.The Heavenly Survivor. Each telling became more unbelievable than the last. Rumours travelled beyond ordinary people. They reached cultivators. Inside the Azure Sword Pavilion, a stern elder listened silently as a disciple finished his report.

"...Three unknown cultivators disappeared near the mountain, Elder."Their spiritual signatures vanished completely."The elder's expression darkened."No ordinary treasure causes Heaven to descend."He slowly rose."Prepare a search party."If someone truly obtained an ancient inheritance..."His eyes narrowed.

"It belongs to our sect."Elsewhere, inside the Crimson Wolf Gang's fortress, a scar-faced leader slammed his fist onto a table."A beggar humiliated Zhao Ming?"One of his men nodded."The merchant family is offering a reward."The leader grinned.Good.We'll collect the reward... and whatever treasure the beggar found."

Farther away, an elderly wandering cultivator smiled as he watched birds circle above the distant mountain."Heavenly lightning..."He stroked his beard thoughtfully."Perhaps a true genius has finally appeared."Unlike the others, greed never entered his thoughts. He wished only to find the mysterious youth. Not to seize his fortune. But to offer guidance before the great sects discovered him.

As the rumours spread, Mo Tianyu remained unaware of the storm gathering around his name. He walked alone along forgotten roads. His simple robes still marked him as a beggar. His face still reflected years of hardship. Only his golden eyes hinted at the impossible truth hidden beneath his humble appearance.

His Divine Sight remained active. Every passerby glowed with different colours. Some carried bright, honest souls. Others were wrapped in dark strands of deceit and greed. For the first time, he understood why the Third Celestial Sovereign had rarely been deceived. Lies had a shape. Hatred left shadows. Even destiny shimmered faintly around living beings. Yet the gift carried a burden.

The more he saw...The lonelier he felt. Ignorance had once allowed him to trust people. Now every hidden intention stood exposed. He wondered whether he would ever again look at another person without seeing the weight of their soul. Late that evening, he stopped beside a quiet stream. As he knelt to drink, a faint sensation brushed against his awareness. Someone was watching. He raised his head. Nothing.

The forest remained silent. Even so...He smiled faintly."You've been following me since noon."Leaves rustled gently. Still no answer."I know you're there."Several moments passed. Then the feeling disappeared. Mo Tianyu did not pursue it. Whoever the observer was, they carried no killing intent. Hidden high within the branches of an ancient tree, a young woman finally released the breath she had been holding.

She appeared no older than eighteen. Her long black hair flowed like silk beneath a hooded cloak, while calm silver eyes remained fixed upon the lone traveller below. She had concealed herself with an illusion capable of deceiving even powerful cultivators. It had failed."He sensed me..."She whispered in astonishment."Already?"Her gaze lingered on his golden eyes. Memories surfaced.

A magnificent palace beyond the heavens.A lonely sovereign who had once spoken kindly to a frightened young saintess. A promise made countless ages ago. The young woman lowered her head."It really is him."Her voice shook with emotion. For a long time, she remained hidden among the branches, watching him disappear into the gathering darkness. Only after he had gone did she descend silently to the forest floor.No one was there to witness what happened next.

She faced the direction he had travelled. Then...She slowly knelt. Her forehead touched the earth."My Sovereign..."The wind carried away her whisper. When she finally stood again, the gentle expression in her eyes had vanished. In its place burned quiet determination. If Heaven had discovered his return...

Then, time was running out. She turned toward the distant stars."We have found him."She did not realise another presence, far beyond her perception, had watched her kneel. Deep within the clouds, unseen eyes slowly closed. The game between Heaven and its forgotten sovereign had entered a new stage.