Chapter 1

"Everyone will die eventually, unless they achieve the power of the ancient great beings, who can escape death?"

"In this life, I have lived with no regrets, making decisive and swift decisions, and I have had my moments of glory. Dying now, it is worth it!"

In a simple thatched hut, a man in his thirties lay on a bed, a massive wound on his abdomen.

The wound was terrifying, almost splitting him in two.

The fact that he was still alive and could speak was nothing short of a miracle.

He had a sharp brow and clear eyes, a handsome and distinguished appearance that could not be concealed even by the blood covering his body.

A boy of eleven or twelve knelt before the bed, tears welling in his eyes.

He cried out, "Master, who killed you? Tell me, I swear, even if I have to chase them to the ends of the earth, I will avenge you!"

"Shut up!"

The handsome middle-aged man harshly rebuked him. With a forceful effort, he began to cough violently, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

"The strength of my great enemy is beyond your imagination. Before you reach the天河境 (Tianhe Realm), do not even think about avenging me!"

The boy was shocked upon hearing this. The Tianhe Realm was a level he could not even imagine.

The Qianyuan Sect, where he was from, was one of the top sects in Qingzhou, and even its leader had not reached the Tianhe Realm!

Reaching the Tianhe Realm meant being able to communicate with the nine celestial rivers that spanned the universe, containing billions of stars, and to harness the power of the celestial rivers, making one an extremely powerful being.

The enemy of his master was so powerful!

"Disciple, you must listen carefully to what I say next!"

"After I die, you must guard my grave for five years! During these five years, you must not go anywhere. You must practice the Beidou Leaf Golden Sutra I taught you every day in front of the grave, without a single day of slack! Also, you have mediocre talent and are often bullied. Without my protection, you will be in even greater danger. Within these five years, you must not show off your abilities, even if others ride over you, you must not resist! There is only one word: endure!"

"After five years, you must dig up my grave! Everything I need to say is inside."

"What?" The boy's eyes widened, and he protested, "Master..."

Digging up his master's grave was an act of great disrespect, and he would never do it.

"Are you still listening to me?" The handsome middle-aged man, in a hurry, spat out another mouthful of blood. "Do you want me to die with regrets?"

The boy, seeing this, nodded with tears in his eyes, "Master, I promise you!"

"Good! Good!" The handsome middle-aged man laughed loudly, then suddenly trembled, a mouthful of blood spewing out.

He recited, "I have a heart of immortality, yet it is locked by the dust of the world. When the dust is gone and the light shines, it will illuminate countless mountains and rivers..."

His voice grew weaker and finally faded away. He lay on the bed as if asleep, a smile still on his lips.

The boy knelt on the ground, his tears dried, a look of determination on his face. He murmured to himself, "Master, rest assured, I will listen to you and guard your grave for five years! After five years, I will dig up your grave, and I will continue to practice. One day, I will find out who killed you and avenge you!"

After saying this, the boy carried his master's body out and, with his bare hands, dug a grave next to the thatched hut, burying his master. His hands were covered in blood, but he felt no pain.

His tears were dried, and his heart was filled only with hatred and the great ambition to become strong!

The death of Yan Qingyu, the first genius of the Qianyuan Sect, did not cause much of a stir in the Qianyuan Sect.

The Great Qin Empire spanned hundreds of thousands of miles, Qingzhou spanned tens of thousands of miles, and Danyang Prefecture spanned ten thousand miles.

Danyang Prefecture had dozens of sects, and the Qianyuan Sect was a well-known primary sect in Danyang Prefecture. Yan Qingyu entered the Qianyuan Sect twenty-five years ago, reaching the Ninth Level of the Later Heaven Realm at the age of eleven, and breaking through to the Later Heaven Realm at twelve, opening the Divine Gate and entering the First Level of the Divine Gate Realm.

Before him, the record for the entire Great Qin Empire was thirteen years old.

The Divine Gate Realm, also known as the Secret Realm, and the Divine Gate, also known as the Gate of Creation, allowed one to enter the Secret Realm after opening the Divine Gate.

The Secret Realm contained boundless treasures.

Some people, upon opening the Secret Realm, obtained a powerful martial soul; some obtained a life-bound divine weapon; some obtained a divine ability; others obtained an opportunity to improve their cultivation physique... and so on. There were even legends that some people, upon opening their Secret Realm, obtained a thread of the Heavenly Dao's law left after the collapse of the ancient Heavenly Dao, directly predetermining their future as an unparalleled strong being!

In short, after opening the Divine Gate, one's strength would greatly increase, reaching a completely different realm, becoming extremely powerful.

Even a Ninth Level Later Heaven Realm expert was no match for a single move from a Divine Gate Realm expert!

After Yan Qingyu opened his Divine Gate, he obtained a life-bound divine sword, incredibly powerful, a Secret Realm that all sword cultivators dreamed of.

This was an extremely superior Secret Realm, and it was said that when he opened his Divine Gate and the Secret Realm, seven yellow lights flashed consecutively!

This meant that his Secret Realm was at least a Seventh Rank Yellow Secret Realm, which was extremely rare, with perhaps not even one in ten thousand martial artists achieving it.

For a time, the empire was shaken, and Yan Qingyu was hailed as the first genius, receiving countless honors and becoming extremely prominent.

Next, his cultivation advanced rapidly, but a sudden change occurred.

At the age of seventeen, while on an outing, he was severely injured by a mysterious person five levels higher than him, his meridians severed, and he could no longer cultivate, his realm forever stuck at the Fourth Level of the Divine Gate Realm!

The genius fell from the pedestal, expectations turned to disappointment, praise turned to ridicule, and vicious curses and oppression followed.

He was demoted from a core disciple to an inner sect disciple, then to an outer sect disciple, and finally, due to the care of old acquaintances within the sect, he was given the position of an outer sect elder, living a dazed life.

Yan Qingyu seemed to care little about it and did not live in the sect, building a thatched hut at the foot of the mountain, living a simple life.

He also took on a disciple, the boy before him, named Chen Feng.

Chen Feng had extremely poor talent, his meridians blocked, his dantian as hard as iron, and his cultivation speed extremely slow. After six years of cultivation, he had not even reached the Second Level of the Later Heaven Realm, quickly becoming a laughingstock in the outer sect of the Qianyuan Sect. They were even called the "waste master and waste disciple." But Yan Qingyu did not despise him, teaching him patiently and treating him like his own child.

Chen Feng knelt before the grave every day, his gaze vacant, his face expressionless. If it weren't for the breathing in his chest, one would think he was already dead.

In reality, he was practicing the Beidou Leaf Golden Sutra that Yan Qingyu had taught him. He did not know what the Golden Sutra was for, and despite practicing for five years, his talent had not improved at all, making him a waste in others' eyes. But since it was what Yan Qingyu had instructed, he would continue to practice.

Soon, a rumor spread in the Qianyuan Sect that Yan Qingyu's waste disciple had gone mad.

Then, people came to Yan Qingyu's grave, humiliating Chen Feng, cursing him, and spitting on him, but Chen Feng showed no reaction.

They became bolder, tearing down Yan Qingyu's thatched hut and taking all the treasures inside. Yan Qingyu, who had once been a genius, had traveled extensively and had some excellent magical artifacts and elixirs, all of which were taken. Chen Feng, as if he had not seen it, did not stop them, remaining indifferent.

Half a year later, a woman in white appeared beside the grave.

She was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with a stunning appearance and a noble and transcendent aura, like a celestial being. The surging true qi emanating from her body also declared that she was at least a Divine Gate Realm expert!

She stood beside the grave, looking at the tombstone with a complex gaze.

Chen Feng finally reacted, staring at her blankly. Suddenly, he jumped up, shouting excitedly, "You are Auntie Ran Yuxue!"

He remembered that five years ago, when he and Yan Qingyu went to the outer sect to collect spirit stones, he had seen her from a distance. At that time, she was surrounded by a large number of core disciples and inner sect disciples, and even the proud outer sect experts smiled obsequiously at her. She did not even notice Yan Qingyu and him, and she left with her head held high.

After returning that day, Yan Qingyu drank until he was drunk, and in his drunken state, he told Chen Feng about his past with Ran Yuxue.

It turned out that when Yan Qingyu was at the peak of his power, a beautifully carved little girl always followed him, calling him "Qingyu Brother" sweetly.

She was his little junior sister, the equally talented Ran Yuxue.

The two were once considered a perfect match, a celestial couple, and later, they even went on adventures together. The time Yan Qingyu was severely injured, he was protecting Ran Yuxue, and if not for that, he could have easily escaped.

But what happened afterward, Yan Qingyu did not say. When Chen Feng asked again after he sobered up, Yan Qingyu refused to speak about it.

Chen Feng thought that since she had once had feelings for his master, she might have come to pay respects to him.

But his enthusiasm was met with extreme coldness from Ran Yuxue. She glanced at Chen Feng indifferently, then frowned. With her cultivation, she could easily see through Chen Feng's condition.

"Meridians blocked, dantian as hard as iron, not even opened, completely unsuitable for cultivation, truly a waste!"

Ran Yuxue's eyes were cold, full of disdain as she looked at him.

This made Chen Feng feel as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, making him shiver.

"A waste master can only teach a waste disciple. You two are a perfect match."

After saying this, Ran Yuxue did not even look at him, turning and leaving.

Watching her back, Chen Feng clenched his fists.

In his heart, he shouted wildly, "Ran Yuxue, just wait. One day, I will make you look at me and my master with respect!"