Chapter 1 — The Omen of Golden Dragons
The thunder rolled across the firmament, shattering the silence of the night sky. Endless clouds churned like a sea of chaos, and within them, bolts of lightning tore open the heavens. From the heart of that celestial storm, a dragon's roar echoed across the Seven Realms, shaking both mortals and cultivators alike.
In the central continent of the Mortal Realm, the capital of the Great Xu Empire trembled beneath the sudden celestial phenomenon. Countless commoners fell to their knees, hands clasped in prayer, for above the Imperial Palace, a colossal golden dragon coiled among the storm clouds, its scales glistening like molten suns.
Within the palace stood a young man cloaked in black robes embroidered with golden patterns that shimmered like constellations. His gaze was calm, but his eyes blazed with an unnatural radiance—like twin suns piercing through the darkness of heaven and earth.
This was Ye Tianlan, the Crown Prince of Great Xu. Yet, his birth was not like any other. Rumors whispered through the empire that he was not born of mortal blood alone. Some claimed he was the son of the heavens themselves, blessed with the mandate of dragons. Others said he was cursed—that his very existence would shatter the balance of the Seven Realms.
Tonight, those rumors awakened.
"Your Highness," an old eunuch quivered behind him, voice trembling as the thunder shook the palace walls, "the Heavens themselves… they answer to you!"
Ye Tianlan said nothing. He lifted his hand, and strands of golden lightning bent toward him as though recognizing a master. Behind him, the golden dragon coiled closer, its eyes narrowing with intelligence, neither beast nor spirit but an omen from the Dao itself.
In the distance, cloaked in misty clouds, seven heavenly palaces shimmered briefly in the sky—each representing one of the Seven Realms: Mortal, Spirit, Immortal, Fiend, Celestial, Primordial, and Abyssal. For an instant, all were aligned, as if watching him.
But such harmony came at a price.
Far beyond the capital, deep in forbidden lands, ancient cultivators awoke from slumber. In shadowed temples, black-robed elders opened eyes that glowed with cold malice. In the Abyssal Realm, devils stirred, whispering his name as though it had been etched into destiny itself.
> "The Chosen One has emerged… the cycle begins anew."
Lightning cracked again, splitting the night sky, and with it, Ye Tianlan's fate was sealed. From this night forth, every step he took would draw him closer to the truth of his existence, and every enemy across the Seven Realms would seek his life.
As the golden dragon let out a deafening roar, Ye Tianlan finally spoke—his voice calm but resolute, cutting through the storm:
"If the Heavens have chosen me, then I shall not bow. Let the Seven Realms know—this path belongs to me alone."
And thus began the tale of the man who would defy the Heavenly Dao itself.