The sun rose behind the Celestial Peaks, casting its golden light over the shattered remnants of the trial ground. Dust still hovered in the air, and the disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect whispered among themselves, stunned by the spectacle they had witnessed the previous night.
Xiang Tian stood alone at the center of the crater he had created, his bare torso streaked with blood and ash. Yet there was no pain in his eyes—only determination and a flickering flame of something far greater than before.
The sealed memories had returned.
They came to him in a torrent during his breakthrough—a lifetime buried within the ancient soul fragment he had carried since birth. He remembered towering palaces of gold suspended in the skies, remembered standing atop divine realms, and remembered... betrayal. He had once been a Sovereign of the Upper Heavens, a ruler whose power could crush entire realms. But envy and fear had brought about his fall, his soul shattered and cast down into the mortal plane.
Now, that soul had awakened.
"Xiang Tian...?" a cautious voice called.
Elder Yu, the sole master who had ever shown him even the faintest kindness, approached slowly, eyes filled with awe and concern. "What… what technique did you use?"
Xiang Tian turned, his hair dancing lightly in the wind, and for the first time, Elder Yu felt it—not just power, but presence. Xiang Tian no longer felt like a disciple of the outer court. He felt... ancient.
"I didn't use a technique," Xiang Tian said quietly. "I simply remembered who I was."
The words were simple, but they held such weight that the earth itself seemed to respond. A low hum vibrated in the soil, as if the world acknowledged him.
Elder Yu swallowed. "You broke through to Core Formation, didn't you?"
"No," Xiang Tian said, and Elder Yu's eyes widened in disbelief.
"You're still in the Foundation Realm?!"
Xiang Tian nodded. "But I've stepped into the True Tyrant Path. Power is no longer dictated by realm alone."
That day, Xiang Tian left the ruins of the trial grounds not as a survivor, but as a storm that would one day shake the heavens.
---
Three Days Later – Azure Cloud Sect: Inner Sanctum
The inner court disciples were gathered in the Grand Assembly Hall, murmuring with unease. Word of the trial's destruction and Xiang Tian's survival had spread like wildfire. More than a few were furious. Some were terrified.
Seated at the head of the hall was Grand Elder Huo, a man known for his rigid discipline and ruthless enforcement of sect rules. His eyes were cold as he reviewed the report.
"So," he said slowly, "not only did Xiang Tian survive the trial, he destroyed it. He broke protocol, endangered his peers, and unleashed forbidden energy."
One of the elders to his left nodded. "We must execute him before this power festers further. He could be a danger to the entire sect."
But before the Grand Elder could respond, the doors to the hall slammed open with a thunderous boom.
Xiang Tian entered.
He wore the traditional white robes of the sect, but his presence dwarfed even the elders'. It was not arrogance that rolled off him—it was sheer, unshakable confidence.
Several disciples instinctively stepped back.
"Xiang Tian," Grand Elder Huo growled, "you have defiled the sacred trial, unleashed uncontrolled power, and shown no respect for the hierarchy of this sect. Do you have anything to say before punishment is passed?"
Xiang Tian met the elder's eyes without fear. "Only this: if your hierarchy fears strength, then it deserves to crumble."
Gasps echoed through the hall.
Grand Elder Huo rose to his feet. "You dare threaten the authority of the Azure Cloud Sect?!"
"No," Xiang Tian replied. "I simply no longer recognize it."
That was the final straw. In a flash, a golden seal appeared above the Grand Elder's palm—a suppression technique. But before he could activate it, Xiang Tian raised his own hand, and the hall dimmed.
An invisible force burst forth—Domain Suppression.
Not even Nascent Soul cultivators should have been able to form a Domain at the Foundation stage, yet here he stood, pressing down on the entire chamber.
Even Grand Elder Huo stumbled, his knees nearly buckling.
"Impossible…" he whispered.
Xiang Tian turned and left, his voice ringing behind him like a tolling bell.
"Next time, you raise your hand against me… make sure you're ready to lose it."
---
Later That Night – Ancient Sealed Cavern Beneath the Sect
Xiang Tian sat cross-legged in a forgotten cavern deep beneath the Azure Cloud Sect—one only he knew about, thanks to memories from his past life. Here, where ley lines converged and primordial energy slept, he began the next step of his cultivation.
He summoned the Celestial Tyrant Codex.
The golden tome hovered before him, pages turning of their own accord. Symbols glowed and shifted, revealing a path so ancient, even gods had once feared it.
"The Tyrant Body Refinement Technique—First Stage: Heavenbreaker Veins."
As the name suggested, it wasn't about channeling energy through regular meridians. It was about reshaping one's very physiology, replacing mortal veins with divine conduits—capable of holding power far beyond one's cultivation stage.
The pain was unimaginable.
As he chanted the incantation, molten energy surged through his body. His veins burst and reformed, bones cracked and reforged themselves under cosmic pressure. Every moment felt like death—but Xiang Tian bore it without a sound.
Because this was the price of dominance.
When he opened his eyes, hours later, they glowed faintly with starlight.
---
Meanwhile – Far Across the Realm
Deep within the Divine Thunder Sect, a hooded figure knelt before a floating mirror, watching the events unfold within the Azure Cloud Sect.
"So… he awakens again," the figure said.
Another voice answered from the shadows. "What should we do, my lord?"
"Prepare the Sealed Heaven Envoy," the hooded figure said coldly. "If Xiang Tian remembers who he once was… we must eliminate him before he ascends again."
---
Back at the Sect – Next Morning
Xiang Tian returned to the surface to find the sect divided. Some disciples now whispered his name with reverence, while others spoke of exile and punishment. But Xiang Tian paid them no mind. He had only one goal now:
Ascend. Conquer. Reclaim.
He stood atop the Southern Cliff, gazing over the endless mountains.
"I was cast down once," he murmured. "This time, I will not rise alone… I will bring the heavens themselves to heel."
The wind howled around him. The Celestial Tyrant had begun his reign.