"Boom boom boom..."
Lightning, accompanied by a thunderous roar, slashed the night sky with a fearsome display, tearing apart the darkness and the wind whipped like a god's whip, punishing all creation.
Sudden rains poured, as if the heavens were weeping.
Outside the capital city of Zhenyue, at the foot of West Wind Slope, all was silent, with corpses piled up like mountains.
The crimson blood, under the onslaught of the rain, gradually thinned.
Among the bodies, there lay a boy no more than fifteen years old, dressed richly, with an extraordinary countenance.
The boy's eyes were tightly closed. On his refined face, his expression was akin to withered branches, devoid of life, suggesting he had been dead for a while.
On his chest, there was a huge wound, terrifying in its existence, as if someone had directly ripped off a large chunk of flesh. Exceedingly brutal, the wound exposed his already still heart.
Curiously, the blood that spilled from the boy's chest was still piping hot. It merged with the rainwater, seeping into the ground.
Since ancient times, a legend had circulated in the Zhenyue Empire: the ancient Demon God Emperor had fought a great battle with multiple deities within the Cloud Realm, and ultimately self-destructed and perished.
The Demon Sword, a famous artifact of the Demon God Emperor, had broken through the void and came to the innerland of Qingyun Continent. To acquire the Demon Sword, the gods had turned Qingyun Continent upside down, and eventually determined that the Demon Sword had fallen within the territory of the Zhenyue Empire.
However, after thousands of years, the gods were still unable to fulfill their wishes.
Every once in a while, strong beings from other realms would come to Qingyun Continent in search of treasure, hoping to find the Demon Sword and become the Supreme Demon God.
"Hehehe…"
When the young boy's blood seeped a hundred miles into the ground, a ghastly creepy laugh suddenly erupted from the depths. As haunting as a night owl's call, in this long and dark night, it persevered and did not dissipate.
"Finally, someone is willing to be accepted by the Demon Sword, hee hee … Xuanye … Jiao Hua ... You guys just wait for me. The day this supreme being successfully seizes your bodies, will be the day your lives end in the netherworld."
Like a ghost wailing with endless hatred from the bottom of West Wind Slope. It echoed across the sky, finally buried amidst the roaring thunder.
"What a pity, a born supreme of a generation, but his Sacred Bone and Divine Destiny were taken away. Otherwise, with such an outstanding demeanor, once this supreme being seizes your body, it’d be able to climb to the peak again, slaughter all gods, and create legends."
"But it doesn't matter. I have waited for countless years to find a person who can be accepted by the Demon Sword. If I miss this chance, I don't know how many years I’ll have to wait again."
As the words ended, an ominous entity from beneath the earth seemed to have made a huge decision: "I have cultivated a wisp of sword soul over ten thousand years. This will benefit you, kid. You better not let me, the supreme, down. Otherwise, when I awake, you'll wish you were dead."
With that, an ink-like darkness but shining with fluorescent black light emerged from the ground. In just an instant, the black light enveloped the young man like a cocoon.
After an unknown period, the heavy rain ceased, the storm ended, and dawn began to glow in the sky. It seemed like the black light was about to dissipate.
"Cough…"
Suddenly, the supposedly dead young man started coughing violently within the dissipating black light until he breathed out turbid air and finally caught his breath.
"I’m still alive."
The young man opened his eyes, his pupils as bright and clear as obsidian, filled with starlight and vitality. He murmured in disbelief as he looked down at his chest.
The terrifying wound on his chest that was previously the size of a bowl had disappeared, and his skin was as clear as jade. It's as if he has never been seriously injured.
The boy's name was Lin Ye, the ninth prince of Zhun Yue Empire. Born as a supreme being, carrying Holy Bones, his fate was divine.
Born with such talent, he should have lived an extraordinary and rich life, but alas, this youth’s life was filled with misfortunes. Conspired against by others, he ended up dead in the wilderness before reaching adulthood.
Lin Ye's father, Lin Feng, was the eighth prince of the empire. Gifted and talented, he was taken as a direct disciple by the immortals of the Cang Yun Realm when he was young. Upon leaving, he entrusted his emperor grandfather Lin Huan with the care of Lin Ye and his mother, the Empress Hua Yang, before he left for Qing Yun Continent.
Lin Ye's grandfather, as the Emperor, was bustling with political affairs. Thus, he handed Lin Ye to his eldest son, Prince Lin Yichen.
Prince Lin Yichen was a man of envy and cunning and secretly plotted to seize the sacred bones and divine destiny within Lin Ye to implant upon his son, Lin Zixuan. However, due to the constant presence of Lord Lin Huan in the imperial city, he never found an opportune moment to strike.
Half a year ago, when Lin Huan went on a campaign to the neighboring country, Lin Yichen finally found his chance. He invited Ghost Doctor Tu Ze from the Purple Cloud Palace, which was under the influence of the prince's wife, Jiang Zhi, successfully harvested Lin Ye's sacred bones, and under the control of the nine masters of the Void Breaking Mirror, seized Lin Ye's divine destiny to transplant into Lin Zixuan.
Having done this, the Prince's wife wanted to secretly kill Lin Ye and Lady Huayang, but whether Lin Yichen had a sudden change of heart, or he feared Lin Huan's punishment or Lin Ye's father Lin Feng's revenge, he temporarily kept Lin Ye and Lady Huayang, waiting for Lin Huan to return from the campaign to make a decision.
The die was cast. The Supreme Young Lord was his son now. He believed Lin Huan would stand by his side.
So, wronged Lin Ye and Lady Huayang suffered greatly in the pitch-black dungeon, waiting for half a year for Lin Huan to return triumphantly.
Lin Ye originally thought that his grandfather, who always doted on him, would give him justice and take back his sacred bones and divine destiny. However, he was too naïve and oversimplified everything.
Lin Huan doted on him simply because of Lin Ye's talent. Now that Lin Ye's talent was gone and he had no support in the court, how could Lin Huan still favor him?
The emperors and their royal families were the most ruthless. Lin Ye clearly remembered that just yesterday, Lin Huan executed his mother with a single strike in the Golden Dragon Hall and then coldly ordered Lin Zixuan to kill him.
Under the slope of the westerly wind, Lin Ye looked beyond at the imperial city, reminiscing about the past, with a blazing fire in his eyes, wanting to burn the sky. His emotionally shaken body was trembling.
"Just wait, as long as I, Lin Ye, am still breathing, I swear that everyone in Zhenyue will not live in peace and feel eternal remorse." Tear streaks ran down his cheek, bringing a bitter taste, moistening his dry lips. Lin Ye gritted his teeth, his face determined.
Life and death changed, making Lin Ye grow up completely, no longer as naïve as he was before.
Thus, Lin Ye clearly understood that without the sacred bones and divine destiny, he was now only an entry-level Qi Practitioner. If he went to the imperial city to seek revenge, he was merely seeking death. The best plan for now was to cultivate diligently and take revenge when he was powerful enough.
"What is this?"
After lying for half a day, his weak body finally regained a bit of strength. Just as Lin Ye was about to get up, he grasped something cold and solid with his left hand.
Confusion within, he cast his glance aside.
A heavy great sword - pitch-black as ink with a chilling gleam, surveys around the same length as Lin Ye, lay motionlessly by his side. Clasped in Lin Ye's hand was the hilt.
"You saved me," he murmured.
The black sword seemed ordinary, falling short of common treasured swords, but Lin Ye knew, his survival had to be connected to this sword.
In an instant, he was reminded of the legends of the Demon Sword.
With a start, Lin Ye's previously gloomy eyes sparkled like stars, he threw his head back and laughed, "Heaven has not abandoned me. Give me a decade, I will wield the Demon Sword, slaughter the Lin Clan to avenge the injustice."
The Demon Sword was majestic and weighty, about a hundred kilograms, marking its contour on the ground beneath.
But when Lin Ye picked it up, it was as light as a feather, flowing freely with grace and precision, not a hint of stiffness.
The only disappointment was that, beyond this, Lin Ye found no other peculiarities with the Demon Sword.
“The Demon Sword is a treasure of the world. If its mystery was so easily solved by me, it wouldn't be worthy of topping the list of celestial treasures. Let it be for now; I’ll delve into its mystery in due course," with the Demon Sword in hand, Lin Ye spoke to himself in a comforting tone, after failing to discover any clues from studying the sword.
With the Demon Sword put away, he sighed at the bodies scattered all over the Western Wind Slope. Most of those who died here were innocent people who were executed by the royal family simply for their association with him.
His glance fell upon the exposed bodies with no one to bury them. Lin Ye clenched his fists. If he hadn't been reborn through the Demon Sword, he would probably be among these bodies scattered in the wilderness. With a pledge in his heart filled with resentment, he solemnly sworn, "Rest in peace, I will avenge you. Those who killed you will join you."
Currently, Lin Ye barely had enough power to protect himself, let alone bury these bodies. The Western Wind Slope was just a mile or two from the capital, and news of his resurrection could be exposed at any time.
Hence, Lin Ye could not afford to linger and bury these bodies. The priority was to leave this treacherous Western Wind Slope; otherwise, he would have no ground to wail once the royal family discovered he was still alive.
Before leaving, he knelt on both knees towards the direction of the capital, kowtowing three times with tears streaming down his face, "Mother, I know your restless soul still wanders over the capital. I swear, sooner or later, I will be back to drive away this injustice and kill our enemies. Wait and see, your son will keep his promise."
After finishing his mourning, Lin Ye knocked three times on the ground before he got up. He disregarded the clothes he wore, drenched and stained with fresh blood and the smell of damp rain, carrying his demonic sword and dragging his heavy steps, he headed east towards the Yun Shen Mountain Range.
In the moment he figured it all out, Lin Ye had made plans for the future. If he remembered correctly, there was still half a month until the day when Ling Yun Heavenly Sect, one of the six major sects in the Qing Yun Continent, would recruit new disciples. The Ling Yun Heavenly Sect was at the border of Zhen Yue Empire. All he needed to do was to cross the Yun Shen Mountain Range and travel another hundred miles to reach it.
Half a month's time to cover nearly a thousand miles, although the deadline was urgent, the plan to enter Ling Yun Heavenly Sect and evade the royal family's pursuit was the only feasible option.
The Yun Shen Mountain Range, dense with forests and layered with hills, was inhabited by a variety of wild beasts, and there were even instances of monstrous beasts. For ordinary people, it was the dangerous territory.
The deepest part of the Yun Shen Mountain Range was even classified as a forbidden area by the Qing Yun Continent, and there was not a single person, regardless of their strength, who had ever come out alive from there.
In order not to die once again at the hands of his enemy, Lin Ye had no choice but to take a gamble on entering the Yun Shen Mountain Range. He believed that his luck had not run out and would surely be able to successfully cross the Yun Shen Mountain Range. If he failed, then it was simply fate and others could not be blamed.
However, dying in the Yun Shen Mountain Range would certainly be better than dying in the hands of the hypocritical and filthy people of Zhen Yue again.
With such thoughts, Lin Ye left without turning back and stepped into the Yun Shen Mountain Range.
