Martial God Calendar, Year 2216
At the pinnacle of the Tianwu Continent—the Martial Domain.
Black gales roared wildly, tearing gaping wounds across the sky. Jagged, terrifying fissures of void flashed and flickered like an insatiable primordial beast, devouring all in its path.
This was Death Canyon, one of Tianwu Continent's seven forbidden zones, nestled in the Martial Domain.
In Death Canyon, relentless void storms raged year-round, claiming countless lives over tens of thousands of years. A merciless grinder, it shredded any who dared enter.
Rarely trodden, even the boldest warriors shunned it—these vast storms could easily rip a Nine Heavens Martial Emperor to pieces.
"Why? Shangguan Xi'er, Feng Shaoyu—why did you betray me?"
Qin Chen stood blood-soaked atop a cliff before Death Canyon, glaring at the man and woman before him. His eyes blazed with endless rage and resentment, his heart twisting as if stabbed.
Qin Chen.
A legend of the Tianwu Continent—ninth-grade Emperor-level alchemist, eighth-rank Royal-level bloodline master, eighth-rank Martial Sovereign.
Orphaned from birth with crippled meridians, he'd defied fate. Starting as a bloodline master, he rewrote his destiny, ascending to the peak with useless bloodline power, carving an unprecedented path—the first in millennia.
At twenty-six, he stormed Heaven Array Mountain alone, navigating eighty-one ninth-grade arrays in forty-nine days—the only array master in a thousand years to conquer it.
At twenty-eight, he broke through to ninth-grade Emperor Alchemist, earning an honorary elder seat in the Continental Alchemist Hall.
At thirty, as an eighth-rank Royal Bloodline Master, he bested the Bloodline Tower's top ten masters without a single loss, shaking the continent.
A supreme legend!
He had a beloved, Shangguan Xi'er—hailed as the continent's foremost beauty.
For ten years, they'd faced life and death together. Qin Chen poured everything into her, propelling her to Nine Heavens Martial Emperor—a tale sung across the land.
He had a brother, Feng Shaoyu.
For ten years, they'd shared unwavering loyalty. Qin Chen gave his all, helping him forge the vast Xuanyuan Empire, renowned continent-wide.
Yet, just as he'd lifted his love and brother to the pinnacle, they betrayed him together.
That night—
Asleep, Shangguan Xi'er struck, plunging an Emperor-grade weapon he'd forged into his body.
Simultaneously, Feng Shaoyu, lying in wait, stormed his palace with lethal force.
Two Nine Heavens Martial Emperors ambushed an eighth-rank Martial Sovereign. Caught off guard, Qin Chen suffered grievous wounds, fleeing the palace for three days and nights.
But they hunted him to Death Canyon.
Now, exhausted, meridians shattered, he teetered on death's edge—powerless to fight.
He couldn't fathom why these two—his closest kin—had turned on him.
"Why?"
Shangguan Xi'er, breathtaking as a painted仙子, met his anguished cry with a coy laugh, nestling into Feng Shaoyu's arms. Feng's hand slid to her waist.
Qin Chen's eyes widened, disbelief crashing through him. Heart reeling, he spat blood, rasping, "You two…?"
Shangguan Xi'er smirked, her pity venomous. "Before I met you, Shaoyu and I were in love. I stayed with you to use you."
"You thought I loved you? Hahaha—wrong…" Her gaze turned vicious. "Every moment with you disgusted me. Without the benefits for me and Shaoyu, I'd never have stooped to fake it."
"For ten years, every move you made was in our plan."
"You obsessed over cultivation and alchemy, shutting yourself away—leaving me and Shaoyu plenty of time together."
"We vowed—once we hit Nine Heavens Martial Emperor, you'd die."
"Finally, with your help, I became an Emperor, and Shaoyu built the Xuanyuan Empire."
"Now, we can be together openly."
"That's why!"
Shangguan Xi'er cackled, her laughter wild and venomous—worlds apart from the gentle, virtuous woman Qin Chen knew.
His face turned ashen.
Ten years—this woman had schemed to exploit him.
And he, blind, poured out his heart.
A decade of tender companionship—a cruel sham.
His heart felt pierced by a thousand arrows.
More than pain—hatred consumed him.
That familiar face was now alien, her beauty grotesque.
"'Good brother,' now you see," Feng Shaoyu grinned, sly and triumphant. "I endured ten years for this—letting my woman go to you. Watching you with her, I swore—when the time was right, I'd kill you, strip you of everything. Your wealth, status, woman—all mine."
"And now, it's over."
Feng's eyes gleamed with naked murder, fixating on Qin Chen's storage bracelet with greed. "Rest easy—after you're gone, I'll take it all, especially that thing from the Forbidden Divine Land—and your woman!"
He leered, his hand groping Shangguan Xi'er's curves. The pair giggled before Qin Chen's eyes.
Qin Chen's gaze iced over, a desolate laugh escaping.
His dearest kin—deceiving him, devouring his life while he cultivated in ignorance.
This was his end.
He laughed.
At this vile pair's shamelessness.
At his own foolish blindness.
Laughter turned to blood-tears streaking from his eyes.
He rose slowly, hate-filled eyes boring into them.
Grief beyond heartbreak.
If I had a chance, I'd kill them.
But there was none.
Gazing at the raging void fissures behind, he leapt amid their furious cries, swallowed instantly by the endless cracks.
In his final moment, his eyes were cold, a sneer on his lips.
Want my things? Next life.
Winds howled, void splintered.
Only Feng Shaoyu and Shangguan Xi'er's enraged roars lingered on the cliff.
Tianwu Continent, Great Qi Kingdom, Prince Dingwu's Mansion
"Shangguan Xi'er, Feng Shaoyu—you wretched dogs, I hate you!"
A youth jolted awake on a gilded bed, bolting upright. Eyes blazing like cold stars, a torrent of vengeful fury burst forth, sweat drenching him.
Clenching his fists, nails dug into his palms, piercing pain unnoticed.
After a long pause, he stared blankly at the ornate bed and eaves, silent.
What's this? Didn't I die?
A sharp pain stabbed his mind, forcing a roar of agony.
With it came a flood of new memories.
"I've… reborn?"
His eyes snapped open, disbelief washing over him—even this continental titan couldn't fathom it.
In these memories—
It was now Martial God Calendar Year 2516—three hundred years since his fall.
Three centuries reshaped the world.
The Xuanyuan Empire, under Feng Shaoyu's conquests, reigned as the continent's supreme dynasty, its might shaking the heavens, earning him the title Emperor Xuanyuan.
Shangguan Xi'er had founded the Ethereal Palace, dubbed Empress Lingbo, revered by billions.
With Qin Chen's divine weapons and elixirs, they'd ascended to unmatched heights, their stomps quaking the continent.
Yet Qin Chen had reborn in this remote Great Qi corner.
"Heavens gave me a second life—Shangguan Xi'er, Feng Shaoyu, wait. I, Qin Chen, am back. Your nightmare looms. One day, I'll storm the Martial Domain and reclaim everything!"
Fists clenched, he swore to the sky in this antique, lavish room.
Killing intent swirled above, an invisible vortex lingering.
"Chen'er!"
Creak! The door swung open. A beautiful woman in a clean robe, jade hairpin glinting, rushed in. Seeing Qin Chen awake, her anxious eyes sparkled with joy.
"Wonderful, Chen'er—you're awake! Mother was so worried."
Tears clung to her long lashes as she embraced him, sobbing softly—yet with relief. Her warm hold wrapped Qin Chen, thawing the vengeance in his reborn heart with an unexpected glow.
She was Qin Yuechi—Prince Dingwu's daughter, Qin Chen's mother.
This body's original owner, also named Qin Chen, had brawled at Tianxing Academy in the capital, falling from the martial stage, cracking his skull, and dying after three days unconscious.
Then, three hundred years prior, Qin Chen's soul inexplicably claimed it, birthing a second life.
"Chen'er, you were out for three days and nights—you scared Mother to death. No more recklessness, hear me? If you're gone, how could I live?" Qin Yuechi caressed his gaunt face, her eyes brimming with tender concern.
Qin Chen gazed at her, a novel warmth stirring his soul.
An orphan in his past life, reborn by fate's grace—he'd gained a mother.
In this body's memories, Qin Yuechi cherished him—her care meticulous, their bond deep.
Merged with the original soul, Qin Chen inherited its emotions.
Seeing her tearful worry, his heart surged. "Mother, I won't be reckless again—won't make you worry," he blurted.
The words eased a weight from his soul, a lingering bind dissolving.
He knew—the original Qin Chen's vestige, sensing his resolve, had faded.
From now on, this body housed one will: his own.