"In the primordial chaos, nine divine bodies were forged by the cosmos itself.
But one… was abandoned.
Feared by the heavens, cursed by fate—its bearer shall either perish in silence…
…or shatter the order of all realms."
— From the Sealed Scriptures of the Forsaken Temple
Heaven Abyss Ancient Region — Wutian Peak.
Wind howled through the clouds like the cries of ancient beasts. Blood trickled from the edge of a bottomless abyss, vanishing into the mist below.
Upon a cold black altar, as still as a tombstone, a young man knelt motionless.
His battle armor was shattered. Long hair, soaked in blood, clung to his face, concealing eyes that had once gleamed like stars—now dull, lifeless, and broken.
His name was Lin Xuan.
Once the heir of the Lin Clan, born from a bloodline revered across the continent. Once chosen to inherit the legendary Divine Body.
Now, little more than a discarded dog—sentenced to die before the bones of his ancestors.
Before him stood Lin Jue—the current Clan Lord. His uncle. His executioner.
"A wretched abomination like you dares to covet the Ancestor's Divine Bone?"
Lin Jue's voice cut like ice.
"You carry the cursed bloodline. Your very existence offends the heavens. Killing you is mercy—for you, and for us all."
Ten elders stood behind him, cold and unmoving. Not one spoke. Not one looked away. Not one offered mercy.
"What… happened to me?"
Memories surged like floodwater.
Three days ago, Lin Xuan had entered the Blood Origin Pool—a sacred place opened only to the clan's most direct heirs.
In that sea of ancestral blood, he had seen visions. A sealed beast beneath the surface. A corpse that looked like… himself.
But from another lifetime.
Then came the pain.
His veins surged with chaos. Power flooded his body. The world trembled around him. But before he could understand, it was over.
He had been seized. Bound. Accused.
"Awakening a demonic bloodline," they said.
"Betrayal of the ancestors. Rebellion against the clan."
They didn't ask.
They judged.
"Lin Xuan," Lin Jue commanded. "Hand over the Ancestral Seal. You're unworthy of it."
"Refuse, and…"
Slash!
A blade of spiritual force tore through his shoulder. Blood sprayed across the altar like a final offering.
He laughed.
"You think… you can kill me so easily?"
His voice was hoarse, but the madness in his gaze returned like a flame refusing to die.
"I carry the Heaven-Defying Bloodline. A cursed divine marrow. Even in death… I'll drag you all down with me!"
BOOM!
The peak trembled. A vortex of crimson exploded overhead, splitting the clouds. Stones shattered. Space cracked.
From deep within Lin Xuan's shattered soul, something stirred.
Not a system.
Not a voice.
Something older.
Something… divine.
[Cycle Engraving Activated… Rebirth Sequence Initiated]
[Forsaken Divine Body – Awakening]
[Countdown: 3… 2… 1…]
BOOM!!!
A pillar of light erupted from his chest, blasting apart the altar. His blood hit the sky like rain.
He laughed again, like a madman—
—one final laugh before the end.
"Heaven… if I can't live as a man…"
"Then I'll return… as a god."
His body erupted.
His soul shattered into dust.
And silence fell over the mountain.
A thousand years later.
In a remote ravine where even birds dared not sing, a boy lay among dried leaves and cold soil. His chest barely moved. His skin was pale. His clothes were rags.
The earth beneath him was stained crimson—
As if he'd clawed his way back from hell itself.
His eyes fluttered open.
They no longer belonged to a child.
They were deep.
Ancient.
Terrifying.
He was no longer the same.