In the Ancestral World, nestled beneath the colossal jade cliffs of the Celestial Peaks, the Lin family was a lineage revered across all realms. For generations, they were celebrated as prodigies, unparalleled masters of the Spirit Dao, their cultivation arts bending heaven and earth to their will. Among these illustrious few, Lin Wei shone brightest, a star destined to blaze across the firmament.
Barely twenty years of age, Lin Wei had already eclipsed many outer elders, his name whispered in awe throughout the courts and sects. His aura was a flowing tempest of power, an unyielding river of spiritual energy surging within his veins. Legends claimed he could shatter mountains with a single step and stir storms with a mere glance. His cultivation realm was at the Zenith Spirit stage, the final precipice before transcending into the Immortal Ascendant tier of the Ancestral Realm.
Yet, fate is as fickle as the wind.
The night was heavy with the scent of jasmine and incense, moonlight filtering through the latticed windows of the ancestral hall. Lin Wei sat alone, his mind consumed by the next steps on his path to ascendancy, when the door opened silently.
"Wei," a soft voice whispered, its sweetness masking a deadly intent.
His fiancée, Yan Ru, stepped in. Her eyes gleamed like stars—brilliant, entrancing, yet concealing shadows deeper than any abyss. To the world, she was a beauty graced by the heavens, a perfect match for Lin Wei's rising star.
"I have news," she said, her eyes fixed on him, fingers tracing the air as if weaving an invisible thread. "The first elder grows restless. He questions your... loyalty."
Lin Wei's brow furrowed. "What nonsense is this? My life benefits the family. Our bloodline will reign supreme. I would live and die for our family."
Yan Ru smiled, a cruel, thin smile. "Not if you are dead."
Before he could react, a blade flashed—thin as a serpent's fang—piercing his side. The pain was sharp, but his spirit flared fiercely, flames of cultivation erupting like wildfire.
"Why?" he gasped, staggering back.
"Because your genius threatens more than just the elders," she whispered, pressing the blade deeper. "Because I will be queen, not a pawn, and there is someone more worthy to be my king. We will rule the heavens and earth."
His vision blurred, strength rapidly fading. The last thing he saw was the cold gleam in her eyes and a man emerging from the shadows as darkness swallowed him whole.