The world was silent, save for the distant rustling of leaves and the faint dripping of water against the cold stone floor. A single figure lay motionless within the cavern, his body battered, his breath shallow. His once-proud robes were nothing more than bloodstained rags, torn and frayed by battle and betrayal.
Then, his fingers twitched.
Pain shot through him like a searing flame. His muscles screamed in agony as his consciousness returned, his mind drowning in a tide of fragmented memories. Xiang Tian had been the Supreme Sovereign of the Celestial Realms, a being whose name commanded awe across countless worlds. Yet now, he awoke in the body of a youth abandoned in a cave, stripped of power, stripped of everything.
"Where... am I?" he muttered, his throat dry and hoarse.
The name came to him in a whisper, a memory forcing itself upon his fractured consciousness. Tian Yang. That was this body's name. The former heir of the Crimson Sky Sect, a young genius who had once shone with great promise—until his dantian was shattered in a sinister scheme. Deemed useless, discarded like trash, left to die in the depths of this cavern.
A bitter chuckle escaped his lips. "So, fate mocks me once again."
But fate would learn. He was not one to accept defeat.
---
Tian Yang forced himself into a seated position, ignoring the throbbing pain that pulsed through his limbs. His memories—both old and new—swirled within him like a chaotic storm. He was no longer just Xiang Tian, the Celestial Tyrant. He was also Tian Yang, the fallen genius of the Crimson Sky Sect. Two souls, two lives, now bound as one.
Gritting his teeth, he inspected his dantian. Cracks ran through its very foundation, severing his connection to the spiritual veins that once fueled his strength. In his past life, he had mastered divine arts, wielded supreme techniques that could shatter the heavens. Now, he could barely muster the strength to stand.
"This won't do," he muttered, determination flaring in his gaze. "I refuse to remain weak."
The air in the cave suddenly shifted. A presence—ancient, powerful—stirred in the darkness.
His gaze snapped toward the far end of the cavern, where a faint, eerie glow pulsed like a heartbeat. He dragged himself forward, step by agonizing step, until he reached the source. Half-buried in the ground, enshrouded in a veil of black mist, lay an ancient jade tablet. The moment his fingers brushed its surface, an overwhelming force surged into him.
"The Tyrant's Forbidden Codex..."
The words carved themselves into his mind, searing into his very soul. This was no ordinary technique—it was a cultivation method that defied the heavens themselves.
A wicked grin curled his lips. "Then I shall defy them once more."
---
The pain was excruciating. His meridians twisted, reshaping themselves into something monstrous. His once-broken dantian was reforged, not into a mere vessel for spiritual energy, but into something entirely new—something terrifying. His body trembled, his veins burned as raw, chaotic power surged through him. Hours passed—perhaps days—before he finally opened his eyes.
And when he did, the cavern trembled.
He clenched his fist, feeling the newfound strength coursing through him. He was still far from his former peak, but he was no longer the cripple that had been left for dead.
The Crimson Sky Sect had forsaken him. Now, he would carve a new path. A path of vengeance.
---
Dawn painted the sky in hues of crimson and gold as Tian Yang emerged from the cavern. The towering peaks of the Crimson Sky Sect loomed in the distance, its walls standing tall like an unbroken fortress. He exhaled slowly, his sharp gaze fixed upon his former home.
His first step forward was halted by a low growl. From the thick foliage, a Shadowfang Panther emerged, its black fur rippling in the morning mist. Its golden eyes locked onto him, a predator recognizing its prey.
Tian Yang smirked. "You think I'm weak? Then come, beast."
The panther lunged. Tian Yang moved with the swiftness of a storm. His foot barely touched the ground before he vanished, reappearing above the beast. His palm struck downward, a force far beyond mortal comprehension erupting from his body.
Boom!
The panther collapsed, its bones shattered by the impact.
Tian Yang exhaled slowly. His power was returning. No—this was not merely his past strength. It was something greater. Something limitless.
With a final glance at the fallen beast, he turned and continued his path toward the sect.
---
The moment he stepped through the sect gates, jeers erupted.
"The cripple still dares to return?"
"Hmph! He must have gone mad. Should we teach him another lesson?"
A disciple smirked and stepped forward. "Tian Yang, get on your knees, and I might—"
CRACK!
The arrogant disciple flew backward, crashing into a stone pillar, coughing blood.
Silence fell upon the sect grounds.
Xiang Tian withdrew his hand, his gaze cold and merciless. "Trash should know its place."
Gasps erupted from the crowd. The weak Tian Yang they had tormented was gone, replaced by something far more terrifying.
The sect elders watched in stunned silence. One of them, Elder Mu, frowned and stepped forward. "Tian Yang, enough! You were expelled from this sect. You have no right to return!"
Tian Yang tilted his head, a slow smirk forming. "Expelled? You speak as if this place ever truly held any authority over me. But very well. If I have no right to return—"
A gust of wind roared as he vanished, reappearing before Elder Mu in an instant.
"—then I shall take this sect as my own."
Elder Mu barely had time to react before Tian Yang's palm struck his chest, sending him crashing through three stone walls. Coughing blood, the elder's face twisted in terror.
The crowd recoiled in disbelief.
"That... that power! How did he—?"
"Wasn't his dantian crippled?!"
Tian Yang cracked his knuckles, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "Who else dares to challen
ge me?"
The sect had forsaken him. Now, he would claim it for himself.
This was only the beginning.