Chapter 1: The Sovereign's Fall
The Crimson Abyss Peak rumbled under the weight of a hundred righteous cultivators. At their center, Mo Tianyin, the Demonic Sovereign, stood alone. His black robes, shredded to tatters, bled into the swirling mist that clung to the jagged cliffs. Wounds covered his body, but his eyes—twin abysses of black defiance—remained unbroken. He was a mountain, unyielding and fearsome against the tidal wave of sanctimonious fools.
The leaders of the Taixu Domain's great sects encircled him. Elder Yun Zhao, clad in shimmering starlight, clutched a jade scepter. Mistress Lian Xue, her face veiled in frost, wielded a whip of icy qi. Master Shen Hu, his bald head gleaming, brandished a flaming spear. At their forefront stood Yan Qing, Mo Tianyin's own disciple. The boy's spirit sword trembled in his hands, his youthful face pale with guilt.
"Master," Yan Qing whispered, his voice barely audible over the howling wind, "the Human Emperor's Records… you've gone too far."
Mo Tianyin's lips curled into a predatory sneer. "Calamity? You betray me for these hypocrites, Yan Qing?" His gaze swept over the cultivators, their greed barely masked by their righteousness. The Human Emperor's Records, a forbidden tome, held the secrets to ascending to the God Realm. Mo Tianyin had spent lifetimes trying to unlock its sealed runes, but they remained impenetrable.
"Silence, demon!" Elder Yun Zhao roared. His scepter unleashed a torrent of starlight that tore toward Mo Tianyin. The Demonic Sovereign raised a hand, his Blood Aegis Technique surging to form a blood-red shield. The starlight shattered against it.
"You call me demon," Mo Tianyin spat, "yet you covet my prize. Let's see how many of you survive."
The battle erupted in a maelstrom of light and shadow. Mo Tianyin moved like a specter, his Phantom Step weaving through spells and blades. His fists, wreathed in crimson qi, struck with the force of collapsing mountains, sending disciples flying. Mistress Lian Xue's icy whip lashed out, but his Iron Body Art hardened his skin, deflecting the blow. Master Shen Hu's flaming spear grazed his shoulder, but Mo Tianyin countered with Soul Drain, siphoning the temple master's qi to fuel his relentless assault.
Yet, the odds were overwhelming. Yan Qing's betrayal had united the sects, and their combined might was a tidal wave even a sovereign could not withstand. A starlight chain bound his arms. Ice needles pierced his chest. A fiery spear burned his side. Finally, Yan Qing's trembling sword struck true, sinking into Mo Tianyin's heart.
As blood pooled beneath him, Mo Tianyin laughed—a chilling sound that silenced the battlefield. "You think this ends me? The Records… are beyond your reach." With a surge of demonic qi, he shattered the physical tome. Its pages dissolved into motes of light that sank into his soul, merging with his memories. "I curse you all… to chase shadows forever."
His body collapsed, and the righteous cultivators stood in stunned silence, their victory hollow. Yan Qing fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face as the weight of his betrayal crushed him.
Mo Tianyin's soul spiraled into the void, carried to a lower realm. It found its home in a ruined Liu Clan manor in the forgotten Dawnriver Kingdom, where a frail boy named Lin Xuan lay dying.
In the wreckage, Lin Xuan, a sixteen-year-old servant with torn robes and a bloodstained chest, stumbled through the smoldering ruins. Ahead, treacherous Liu Clan servants pursued Liu Yue, the clan's young lady. Her sapphire robes fluttered, her moonlit eyes wide with terror.
"Run, Yue'er!" Lin Xuan screamed, throwing himself between her and the pursuers. A cudgel struck his chest, sending him sprawling. Pain seared through his body, but his eyes locked with Liu Yue's. For a fleeting moment, a silent bond passed between them. "Go!" he rasped, blood dripping from his lips.
As the traitors closed in, Lin Xuan's vision faded. His last thought was a vow to protect her. Then, a searing light engulfed his soul. Mo Tianyin's consciousness merged with the boy's shattered body, awakening as Lin Xuan. His eyes snapped open, glowing crimson, sending the traitors stumbling back in terror.
"Who… are you?" one stammered.
Lin Xuan rose, his voice carrying the cold weight of centuries. "Your death." He unleashed the Demonic Devouring Art, black tendrils erupting from his palm. They latched onto the nearest traitor, draining his life force until he withered into a husk. One by one, Lin Xuan devoured their qi, his cultivation surging from the 7th to the 8th Layer of the Body Refining Realm. His wounds closed, but a strange pang gripped his heart when he thought of Liu Yue's tearful eyes.
Love? he scoffed, pushing the weakness aside. Yet, the boy's memories lingered, tugging at his soul. Clenching his fists, he swore an oath: "I, Mo Tianyin, reborn as Lin Xuan, will ascend to the God Realm. And those who hunt Liu Yue will burn."