Chapter 1: The Hundredth Regression
The first thing he felt was silence.
Not the silence of death, but the silence of a cradle. The silence of a familiar beginning.
Zhen Luochen opened his eyes to the glittering ceiling of the Imperial Palace. The carved jade dragons, the golden constellations above, the faint scent of sandalwood and incense.
He was back.
His body was smaller, younger, yet the weight in his soul was the same as always. The ninety-ninth life had ended, and the hundredth had begun.
The regression was complete.
A palace attendant entered the chamber, her expression nervous, as though sensing something strange from the boy who should have been only fifteen years old. Luochen sat up slowly, his black hair falling across his face, his violet eyes calm and unreadable.
He did not speak to her. He did not need to. His silence was command enough. She bowed deeply and fled, as though escaping something unseen.
Luochen rose, pulling on his ceremonial robe. His movements were quiet, precise, without wasted effort. He was no longer the child prince she believed him to be. He was the man who had carried the weight of the world ninety-nine times, who had stood before the Demon King and stared into the abyss.
This time, there would be no hesitation.
That night, he stood at the edge of the balcony, gazing out at the vast sprawl of the Huaxia capital. Lanterns burned like scattered stars, millions of lives flickering beneath his feet.
His eyes narrowed.
"This is the last attempt. No more hesitation. No more failure."
The violet glow within him pulsed faintly, then sank into silence.
Tomorrow, he would act.
The Royal Meeting
The grand hall of the palace was a storm of whispers. Twelve golden thrones lined the chamber, each belonging to a prince or princess of the Huaxia Empire. At the head, upon the Dragon Throne, sat the Emperor himself, a man whose very presence seemed carved from eternity.
The princes and princesses murmured among themselves, their voices sharp with rivalry. They believed they were gathered to discuss succession, politics, and the unstable gates.
Luochen stepped forward. His expression was the same as always: calm, cold, unreadable.
The air changed when he moved. A faint ripple of void energy spread across the marble floor.
Then, with a flick of his hand, he dragged a man into the center of the chamber. Bound in chains of black light, thrashing against restraints that devoured air and sound, was the advisor of the Sixth Prince.
The man's skin burned, his eyes blackened, his body twisting unnaturally. The court gasped as his flesh split open to reveal his true form.
A demon.
"You have let them nest within our Empire," Luochen's voice was quiet, but every syllable struck with the weight of thunder. "They walk our halls, they whisper in our ears, and still you squabble over thrones."
His gaze swept across his siblings. Each one flinched when his violet eyes met theirs.
"Listen carefully. From this moment forward, we purge the demons. The First Prince will inherit the throne. The rest of you will abandon your hunger for power. You will fortify the Seven Nations. Because there is no time left."
One of the princes rose in fury. "You dare threaten us, brother? You speak as though you alone carry the will of the Empire."
The air shuddered. The void pulsed.
"If you wish," Luochen said flatly, "I will kill you all here and face the demons alone. I have done it before. Ninety-nine times."
Silence.
Even the Emperor's ancient gaze lingered on him, unreadable.
But Luochen did not wait for approval or objection. He turned and left, his robe trailing shadows behind him.
This was the beginning.