# Chapter 2: The Wheel of Reincarnation Turns
The reincarnation pool had existed since the beginning of time, a vast silver ocean where souls were cleansed of their past before being reborn. Its waters usually rippled in silence, processing the endless stream of souls without disturbance.
But now—
The pool churned violently, boiling as foreign powers surged into its depths. The ancient will that governed reincarnation trembled in response.
"This one burns too bright," it murmured. "It carries too much, so much hate and unwillingness. I'm afraid i can not wash away what refuses to be cleansed."
The soul of Riven Aurelius sank deeper, past the drifting masses of ordinary spirits. It bypassed the gentle currents meant for mortals and plunged into the abyss where only extraordinary souls were tempered—those destined for greatness or tragedy.
Often both.
"So be it," the pool whispered. "Let the mortal realms handle what even heaven cannot contain."
The silver ocean rippled as his essence touched its lowest point. Countless nearby souls were swallowed, dragged with him into the Wheel of Reincarnation.
---
Far away, in the eastern Constellation Continent, a child was being born in a prosperous empire. His parents would raise him with love, wealth, and pride. He would know happiness.
For a while.
In exactly ten years, that happiness would be torn from him.
As the wheel turned, seven broken fragments of a sword shuddered in response. Across realms, they pulsed faintly, as if awakening. The remnants of the Celestial Slaying Sword stirred, sensing the return of their master. Their call made even gods uneasy.
---
In his fortress of shadow and starlight, the Void Emperor's eyes snapped open. His meditation broke. A laugh—faint, impossible—echoed in his mind.
No. It couldn't be. Riven Aurelius had died a million years ago. Even he couldn't plan beyond death itself. Or… had he?
The Void Emperor narrowed his gaze, cutting through time, space, and the boundaries of realms. His vision fell on a newly ascended immortal. For a million years, he had searched heaven and earth, seeking a trace of Riven's talent or the Celestial Slaying Sword. He found nothing.
But all was not wasted. He had discovered ten heaven-defying prodigies, each brimming with potential. it took him over nine hundred thousand years to find six, while the last four surfaced only ten thousand years back. Two had already ascended to the Immortal Realm—one a century ago, the other only days past. The other six are already preparing to ascend to the divine realm.
Preparations had begun.
If his greatest enemy had found a way to cheat death, then their ancient war was not over. Perhaps, this time, Riven Aurelius would not return as a sovereign… but as a pawn under their control.
---
In a golden palace, a newborn's cry rang out, carrying within it a faint echo of ambition, a whisper of destruction, and the promise of destiny.
The Supreme Sovereign had returned after a million years. This time, he is back to claim a throne higher than the heavens itself and make all lifeforms tremble with his gaze.
He just didn't know it yet.