A Court of Lost Stars - Chapter 17: It Came Upon a Midnight Snow

【Explosive New Book】 At Thunder Sound Hall, the Great Saint fell! With the Life and Death God Talisman, he reversed time and space; the Monkey King, unyielding, returned against the heavens! All gods and Buddhas lost their colors, my fate is determined by me, not by the heavens! In this life, I, Old Sun, will make all the gods and Buddhas remember this name— I am, the Great Sage Equalling Heaven, Sun Wu Kong

Fu Hongxue was a cripple, born with a lame leg and subject to epileptic seizures. He was also one of the most powerful, legendary figures of the martial arts world, with a dull black saber that was second to none. His fame made him a frequent target of challengers, but whenever his saber left its sheath, only corpses would remain in its wake. One day, however, Fu Hongxue rescued someone whom he should have killed…and in doing so, set of a chain of events and a conspiracy that would rock the world.

Japan – National News BroadcastThe polished news anchor sat upright, her gaze sharp as she adjusted the stack of papers before her. The newsroom behind her hummed with quiet urgency, the weight of the moment settling over the broadcast.“Authorities are baffled by a sudden and unexplained surge in sleep-related deaths across Japan,” she began, her voice steady yet tense. “More and more citizens are passing away in their sleep without any prior health concerns. Experts are working tirelessly to determine the cause, but no clear explanation has emerged. Authorities urge the public to remain vigilant and report any unusual symptoms before bedtime.”A graphic appeared, displaying the spike in fatalities over the past month. Behind her, unsettling photographs flickered across the screen—blurred images of individuals found in their beds, their faces frozen in expressions of terror.The anchor’s tone shifted. “Health officials recommend citizens avoid excessive fatigue and maintain healthy sleep habits. More updates will follow as investigations continue.”---United States – Paranormal PodcastIn a dimly lit podcast studio, the host leaned forward, his eyes wide with curiosity. Across from him, a rugged man in a worn flannel shirt, gripping a faded photograph in one hand and a beer can in the other, leaned back in his chair.“So, you're telling me you saw this creature firsthand?” the host asked, clearly intrigued.The man scoffed, shaking his head. “Damn right, I did. Ugly thing had wings bigger than my body—slow but sneaky. Thought it could steal my pigs again, but I was ready this time—camera in one hand, shotgun in the other.”He slammed the table for emphasis, then shoved the blurry image toward the host. The photograph depicted a small, red-skinned humanoid figure with large, bat-like wings, its eyes glowing faintly in the darkness.“Spit, the thing didn’t know what hit it when I fired!” the man chuckled, his voice full of excitement.The host held up the picture to the live chat. “Alright, what do you think? Mothman? Demon? Or is our friend here just seeing things?”The chat exploded with theories—some skeptical, others eager for the investigation to continue.---China – Liangyuan Street MarketSurveillance footage from a bustling night market in China captured a chilling scene. A woman in a red qipao walked gracefully through the crowd, her figure striking in the soft glow of lanterns.Suddenly, she paused. Her body flickered—like a glitch in a video—before vanishing completely, as though she had never existed.The footage zoomed in, replaying in slow motion. In the final frame before she disappeared, her face distorted unnaturally, her eyes hollow and empty.The screen cut abruptly to black.

Their sins got the whip of god's worst.On that fateful day, god left the world in ruins.However, in his supposed mercy, he left them with a means to survive.To protect themselves against the fiendish demons and monsters that came upon them.This gift, they called: Talents!In this god-abandoned world, Kieran Marcoth, on the day he was to receive his talent—a gift from Orion, the left god—he awakened a 'hidden' SSS-ranked talent.A talent that could only be activated once the condition was met.Instantly, Kieran turned into a subject of mockery, spite, and insults, and somehow, just somehow… he found himself riddled with injuries and on the brink of death.However, it seemed Orion was yet to forget his son.[Ding! Conditions have been met][Host has been successfully selected as a God candidate][Defeat the other candidates! Become the next God of this ruined world]Seeing the notification, Kieran couldn’t care less.Only one thought was registered in his mind:‘I’m going to fucking kill those bastards!’His journey began… Will the once-kind helper become a tyrant god?