Chapter 1 THE END OF AN ERA.
In a world where the law of survival of the fittest reigns supreme, we find a cluster of planets known as the 7 Heavens.
Each Heaven has its own unique aspects and life forms, all striving for supremacy and mastery in martial arts and spiritual cultivation.
Humans and beasts alike use the energies of heaven and earth to transcend the shackles given to them at birth.
Unknowing to those striving for a better future, there lies a deeper conflict that can end their world as they know it.
At the top of this food chain lie ancient clans that will decide the fate of these planets' very existence.
In the 4th Heaven.
In a regal, ethereal palace perched atop the sacred peak of the Martial Empire.
The night's silence was shattered by the sharp clang of metal and the hum of unleashed spiritual techniques.
"Stop that man!" the guard captain roared, desperation thick in his voice.
A group of five masked cultivators, cloaked in dark robes, raced down the grand jade-tiled hall.
Ornate columns blurred past them as they moved like phantoms through the moonlit corridor.
Suddenly, a swirling, shadowy blade erupted from the darkness behind them. It cleaved through the pursuing guards in a single, soundless arc, their bodies collapsing before they could even scream.
At the front, the group's leader, his breath ragged, his halberd dripping with blood.
He came to a halt before a massive crystal pillar embedded in the center of the hall.
"It's not here?!" he gasped.
In frustration, he slammed his fist into the pillar.
The ancient crystal cracked and then shattered, as if it were brittle wood instead of enchanted stone.
"Damn it," he muttered.
"If the Heaven Supremacy Clan truly manages to restore the Primordial Tome, then the Seven Heavens will be forced to kneel before them, and we cannot allow that to happen."
The group fell silent.
The weight of his words was heavier than the blood that soaked their boots.
A masked woman with flowing silver hair stepped forward.
"Maybe the intel we received was false," she said softly.
"Unlikely."
The leader replied, narrowing his eyes.
"The Divination Palace wouldn't make such a careless mistake."
"Besides..."
"The Heaven Supremacy Clan has already begun annexing smaller clans..."
The group of masked cultivators' fists tightened involuntarily.
"They're preparing for a power upheaval." The leader continued.
" If they don't possess the Tome… where is their confidence coming from?"
He turned to face the others.
"They would never make such bold moves, moves that risk angering the six Guardian Clans, unless they had something that tipped the scales."
The air grew tense as the sound of armored boots echoed faintly in the distance, drawing closer.
"The Supremacy Legion," the silver-haired woman muttered.
"We have to decide, do we continue the search or escape while we still can?"
The leader clenched his jaw.
"If we stay, we die."
Even if we find the Tome, we won't be able to escape easily unless we leave now."
Don't be fooled by the guards, the real threat has yet to arrive...
Silence lingered...
He turned to a man slightly shorter than him, whose mask had been stained with crimson.
"Brother Lao… I'm entrusting you with the kids...
"And with our final message."
"Final...message?"
"No…wait, don't do this!" Lao Shenwu shouted,
stepping forward.
The leader's expression softened for just a moment.
His voice was calm.
"We knew the risks."
"The message must reach the others."
"The balance of the Six Guardian Clans depends on it, and they need time to prepare."
"We'll stay and buy you the time you need to escape, even if it costs us everything."
"I'm sorry for dragging you all into this..."
"Kong Shen!" A man with purple eyes shouted.
"I don't want to hear such words from a brother."
"We all knew the risks of trying to prevent the prophecy..."
Kong Shen put a hand on the man's shoulder.
He flashed a grateful smile.
"The heavens have blessed me with such amazing brothers."
Lao Shenwu's hands trembled, but he nodded.
Behind his mask, tears welled in his eyes.
The leader gave Lao Shenwu a ring used to hold items in a separate space.
"Your interspatial ring?!"
Lao Shenwu's hands trembled as he took it.
The leader smiled through his mask.
"The prophecy is the only thing we can hope for. We failed to find the Primordial Tome, and it's likely the Heavens Supremacy clan has unlocked its power."
The silver-haired woman hugged Lao Shenwu.
"Take good care of Ming'er and little Tian,"
"Sister Yu Xuelan..." Lao's voice trembled.
Lao Shenwu gripped his obsidian staff tightly.
The woman said to Lao, her voice almost a whisper.
"The boys are likely part of the prophecy of the Golden Generation."
"They musn't be caught no matt-"
Bang!
Suddenly, the heavy double doors at the end of the hall burst open.
Several guards rushed into the large hall.
As they entered, they parted to the sides, opening a path.
At the center.
A man clad in golden armor etched with crimson runes stepped into the moonlit hall.
His Golden Chestplate bore the form of a lion that could devour heaven itself.
Each step he took pressed down like a mountain, his aura thick with disdain and contempt.
Behind him, soldiers lined up in disciplined formation, but none dared move.
This was his battlefield alone.
"Did you really think a few masked rats could sneak through my palace and take what isn't theirs?"
He said coldly.
"My Heaven Supremacy Clan isn't a place you can come and go as you please."
The leader of the masked group stepped forward calmly.
Each casual step thundered throughout the hall. His Aura made others feel despair, his hair styled in a long, blood-red ponytail that protruded from the top of his helmet.
"We thought we would pay our brother clan a visit to exchange pointers," he replied in a neutral tone, neither submissive nor arrogant.
The armored man's eyes narrowed.
"Kong Shen, don't insult my intelligence. Only one man uses that Shadow Void Technique."
A low chuckle escaped Kong Shen's lips.
He reached up and removed his mask.
His face was sharp and refined, his eyes were black like the abyss, and small twinkling stars shone deep within them. He radiated the calm of someone who had stood at the edge of death many times before.
"I didn't expect your Divine Sense to still be locked onto me after all this time," Kong Shen said.
"Your cultivation must've improved since our last encounter."
"Improved?"
The armored man laughed darkly.
"Since you'll all die here, I'll offer you a gift on your journey to the underworld."
He raised one gloved hand.
His golden armor began to hum with power as dark, thick, liquid-like Qi slithered from his pores, writhing like serpents in the air.
"I've transcended the limits of our bloodline. I've broken through to that realm… and with the power of the Primordial Tome, my celestial physique has been reborn."
"None of you is my match."
The masked group stared at him in silence.
But in their minds, a cold realization settled:
"So… the rumors were true."
The armored man cracked his neck, stretching his arms.
"Come at me together..."
"I don't have time to waste."
Lao Shenwu clenched his fist.
"Is the Heaven Supremacy Clan really going back on the oath made with the Guardian Clans?!?" Shenwu barked.
The Gold Armored man chuckled.
"Oaths are made in ink!"
"But only power can seal."
The Gold armored man's aura poured out of him, no longer restrained.
"What qualifications do the guardian clans have to enforce such oaths?".. He sneered.
Kong Shen stood forward.
"Borrowed power isn't true power; such unearned power comes at a price!"
"That is the heavenly way!" Kong Shen said.
Void energy was circulating around him as he spoke.
The Golden Armored man sneered.
Behind him, his legion surrounded them, forming a perfect arc around the hall, confident that not even five elite cultivators could challenge their commander.
Kong Shen's eyes narrowed as the oppressive Qi in the room turned thick and suffocating.
The man before them was no longer the arrogant son of a noble clan… he was a monster forged by ancient power.
"Brother Lao, leave now!"
Kong Shen shouted as he flew up in the air, blocking any potential pursuers.
Lao Shenwu immediately headed for the exit, flying at full speed.
Several guards moved to intercept.
They launched powerful spiritual and sword techniques towards Lao Shenwu.
"Does the mantis wish to stop the chariot?!" Lao Shenwu sneered.
He twirled his black staff in a rhythmic motion as a corporeal avatar appeared behind him.
"Five chambers of Pangu!"
"Staff Art!"
"Universal Forest!"
The avatar conjured up 5 staff phantoms that crushed the guards in front of him, blasting a hole in the palace wall.
Seizing the opportunity, Shenwu flew at max speed to escape.
Seeing his friends escape Kong Shen, Kong Shen exhaled in relief. But why didn't the commander make a move?
The commander in golden armor didn't seem bothered by Lao Shenwu's escape.
"Not bad...but still meaningless," he smiled.
"That rat won't escape far."
He said, cricking his neck.
"We will pay your Kong Clan a visit, shortly after we show you ants the immensities of heaven and earth." Sneered the Golden armored commander.
He turned to look back at Kong Shen. "I have been waiting for this day for 30 years, Kong Shen."
"But if you don't attack together, there won't be any satisfaction."
The others circulated their qi.
Their Auras spiking, but they didn't dare to make any careless moves…
The Golden Armored man retrieved his spear from his back.
"If you don't make your move…" the golden warrior growled, his body glowing faintly.
"Then I will!"
To be Continued.