[DAO MOUNTAIN]
The palace that spanned endlessly on Dao Mountain stood desolate, without any sign of life.
Every nook and cranny of the palace was devoid of life, except for the throne room.
A man wearing a red dragon robe looked down at the center of the hall, his long black hair swaying in the air.
The only thing that could be discerned from his gaze was absolute indifference toward the world and its creation.
He was the ruler of this realm, the being the world itself called the [Celestial Mandate].
As his eyes locked onto the pond in the center of the throne room, a reflection of the whole realm appeared within it.
The pond reflected prosperous kingdoms, forests, sects, secret realms, labyrinths, cultivation geniuses, organizations, magi, mortals—everything beneath the heavens was reflected there.
As the scenes changed continuously, the figure in the dragon robe did not move from his throne, nor did he blink an eye.
Suddenly, in front of the man, the void itself opened as if someone had ripped space apart, and a man with a serene aura entered the palace. He wore a black cloak over his head.
As the newcomer looked around and then straight at the being on the throne, his slumped shoulders revealed his sorrow as his voice resonated throughout the palace and Dao Mountain:
"Oh Mandate… how did you die? For what did you die, without anyone knowing?"
As he said this, the cloaked figure shook his head and looked at the being at the peak of the realm, now dead and devoid of even an ounce of vitality.
The cloaked figure raised his hand, and the entire mountain became invisible as an invincible net enveloped it.
Afterward, the cloaked figure flew upward into the sky and gazed upon the entire realm, his voice resounding through heaven and earth:
"I, Oorun,
THE FIRST MAGI OF THE UNDERWORLD,
DECLARE THE DEATH OF HEAVEN,
DECLARE THE DEATH OF EARTH,
DECLARE THE DEATH OF MANDATE!"
As the proclamation echoed throughout the worlds of heaven and hell, everything froze.
The galloping of horses, the roars of dragons, and the cries of phoenixes echoed through the heavens and hells, as if offering their farewell to their war god.
While some beings wept for their loss, many entities emerged one by one from their seclusion, seeking to claim the throne that had been left empty.
To rule every being beneath the heavens, to look down upon heaven and earth, to dominate cultivators and mortals, helions and angels, magi and fae, and the three thousand races—only one thing was required:
The authority of [MANDATE].
Oorun, the First Magi, seeing more and more formidable beings converging upon Dao Mountain, opened space before him and stepped away to somewhere unknown.
The world began to spiral as a new era dawned. Beings seeking the Celestial Mandate's inheritance began searching for Dao Mountain and the other legacies of the Celestial Mandate.
At the same time, atop Dao Mountain—now concealed by the net cast by Oorun—a blue light formed and shot forward at lightning speed. Traveling across continents and seas, it arrived at a cultivation sect atop a mountain and entered the body of an injured, 1st level qi refining stage disciple named Chen yan before vanishing without a trace.
The supremes and celestials of the cultivation world continued their search for the Celestial Mandate's legacy, unaware that their chance at the throne now rested within the soul of a Body Tempering disciple in a mid-sized sect known as the Five Elements Sect.
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[Mortal Village]
"I, Oorun,
THE FIRST MAGI OF THE UNDERWORLD,
DECLARE THE DEATH OF HEAVEN,
DECLARE THE DEATH OF EARTH,
DECLARE THE DEATH OF MANDATE!"
In the corner of a mortal village, a fourteen-year-old boy opened his eyes and looked toward the sky upon hearing the declaration.
He was Gu Yan, a transmigrator from Earth, reborn into the cultivation world, who had regained his memories over the past two years.
As he gazed at the sky and listened to the words, he silently shook his head and murmured to himself,
"To a mortal, what does it matter whether heaven is dead or not?"
Gu Yan had his spiritual roots tested by the village elder, who sent young talents to cultivation sects under the recruitment orders of those sects. Contrary to his expectations, Gu Yan did not possess any spiritual roots for cultivation.
Shaking his head, he looked at the four dots on his left forearm, which had begun forming two years ago when memories of his previous life resurfaced. Now, they were complete.
The dots were arranged with one word etched around them.
Despite numerous attempts, Gu Yan could not understand the word's inscribed on his forearm. They resembled glyphs tattooed onto his body.
However, today was different. One of the dots within the previously unidentified glyph began to move and formed a word.
[HEAVEN BEARER]
As he stared at the dot and the word, his mind conjured countless possibilities regarding its use. As his right hand moved to touch the glyph, he suddenly stopped, becoming aware of his surroundings.
'If something happens when I touch the glyph, there's a chance people will notice.'
Even though there were no cultivators in the village, there were many martial artists. If any sign of a treasure appeared, there was a high chance of a bloodbath erupting over the so-called treasure.
Most martial artists were people searching for herbs or treasures to help them grow spiritual roots and begin cultivation.
Such treasures were exceedingly rare for mortals, and because of that, bloodshed would be inevitable.
At present, the only thing Gu Yan could do was access the glyph in hiding and pray that no extreme signs would manifest when he activated it.
As Gu Yan walked toward his home, he passed several people still discussing the announcement that had resounded throughout the world.
Some were panicking, while others were utterly confused. No one knew what the declaration truly meant.
As he walked, he heard a loud voice coming from a shop.
"Do you really believe that nonsense? Any cultivator could make such a claim and announce to the mortal world that heaven is dead," an old man scoffed at the gathered crowd.
"Grandpa is right. If heaven were dead, do you think we'd all still be alive?" a young man added.
Gu Yan did not stop to listen further. Their discussion offered him no useful information, and he could easily concoct countless conspiracy theories on his own.
Continuing toward his home, Gu Yan looked up at the sky, where a single character could be seen, as though someone had written upon the sky themselves. It was written in an unfamiliar language, yet the moment anyone gazed upon it, they would understand its intent.
[HEAVEN]
Though it was wondrous to Gu Yan, such phenomena were commonplace in the cultivation world and had existed for thousands of years.
Shaking his head, Gu Yan continued walking home.
Gu Yan's house was a small hut beside the market, furnished with only basic necessities. Only he and his uncle lived there; his parents had died long ago, and his uncle was currently away working elsewhere.
Entering his home, Gu Yan closed the door to his room and sat on his bed. Slowly, his hand moved to touch the first dot on his arm.
[HEAVEN BEARER]
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