The heavens thunder.
Not with rain, not with storm, but with judgement.
Li Tianchen, once hailed as the Heaven's Chosen Disciple of the Radiant Sword Sect, now knelt beneath the blackened sky, broken and bloodied. Golden chains glowing with ancient runes bound his wrists and ankles, digging into his flesh like fangs. His silver robe, once spotless and embroidered with the crest of his sect, now hung in tatters, soaked and with blood and betrayal.
Around him stood the Twelve Elders, their faces carved from stone. Cold. Indifferent. Righteous.
"You dared cultivate the forbidden technique," spat Elder Zhu, eyes blazing. "You have tainted our sacred arts with lust and darkness."
Li Tianchen's lips curled into a tired smile, blood dripping down the corner of his mouth. "And yet, none of you cared when I used that same 'darkness' to save your precious disciples from the Demon Abyss."
A murmur spread through the assembly.
"Silence!" roared the Sect Master, his voice reverberating like divine thunder. "You defiled our teachings. You seduced the saintess. You even dared to touch the Heaven Maiden--!"
Li Tianchen's gaze shifted to the woman standing just behind the Sect Master. Yue Qinglan.
Her long white robes fluttered like a celestial phoenix's feathers. Her eyes, once soft and warm when they were alone, now held nothing. No grief. No sorrow. No apology.
Just emptiness.
"Tianchen... forgive me," she mouthed.
But it was too late.
The Sect Master raised his hand, and a heavenly lightning tribulation coalesced above the execution altar. Thunder cracked. The heavens opened.
"Today, Li Tianchen, you are stripped of your name, your rank, your cultivation, and your life."
The crowd of the sect disciples, elders, and the even the passing deities watched with bated breath as a bolt of divine lightning surged downward.
Li Tianchen looked up.
He smiled.
"Even if the heavens crush me... I will be climb back up."
And then everything turned white.
.....
He was falling.
Through clouds, through light, through pain, his born shattered, flesh turn apart, yet he did not die.
He could not die.
Something burned inside him, like a core refusing to extinguish.
Ding!
[Heavens Asura System initializing... loading soul data...]
A mechanical voice echoed inside his head.
"What... is this?"
Li Tianchen's mind drifted in and out of consciousness, barely aware of the bright, radiant screen flashing in front of him.
[Welcome, host: Li Tianchen]
[Race: Human (Mutating)]
[Bloodline: Fragment of Asura God detected.]
[Compatibility:97%]
[Sexual Drive: OVERLORDED.]
[Warning: Dual Cultivation potential... Maximum.]
[Would you like to begin cultivation with compatible partners?]
Even in death, he choked on a laugh.
"What kind of system are you?"
[The one you secretly wanted, you handsome bastard.]
Before he could curse, a pulse of energy surged through his veins, like fire meeting gasoline. His broken dantian reformed. His meridians unblocked. His spiritual sea expanded beyond mortal limits.
But what truly shocked him was the sudden warmth wrapping around his soul. A presence. No, multiple presences. Soft, feminine... whispering.
[Detected first Compatible Partner nearby.]
"What...?"
His eyes opened.
.....
He was in a cave. The air was damp, but warm. Crystals lit the chamber with a soft violet glow, casting dancing shadows on the walls. He tried to sit up, his muscles screamed, but his body was healing rapidly.
And then he heard it.
Soft breathing. Gentle... and close.
Li Tianchen turned his head and froze.
A woman lay beside him.
Naked.
Her skin glowed faintly, marked with ancient tattoos pulsing the same color as the system screen. Her long hair spilled over the stone floor like a dark river, and her chest rose and fell in rhythm with his own breath. As if... they were connected.
[Dual Cultivation Link established successfully.]
"What the hell happened?" He muttered, trying not to panic. Did I just... did we...?!"
[Yes. You did. And she loved it.]
Li Tianchen slapped his forehead.
"This has to be a dream."
[Oh it's very real, Host. Welcome to the first stage of your true ascension.]
The woman stirred. Her eyes fluttered open, bright amethyst, glowing faintly.
"You..." She whispered, reaching out. "You called to me..."
"No, no, I was executed," he said, backing up, "I didn't call anyone! I was minding my own death!"
But her arms wrapped around him.
"You carry the scent of Asura," she murmured, her voice thick with ancient longing. "You are the one destined to unite the fragmented chaos... and the hearts of many."
[Quest Unlocked: Form the Asura Harem - 0/108 partners collected.]
Li Tianchen's brain short-circuited.
"One hundred and eight?! That is not a harem, that is a sect!"
[Correct. We recommend you start recruiting soon.]
As if on cue, the cave walls shimmered, revealing a path, no, a stairway spiraling upward into the unknown.
The woman smiled and stood. "Come, Asura. Your path begins now."
Li Tianchen stared, torn between panic, lust, confusion, and an odd sense of destiny.
He stood up, brushing dust from his tattered robes, he muttered:
" ...I am going to regret this, ain't I?"
[Yes. But you will enjoy every second.]