Chapter 1: The Foretold Calamity
The night sky above the Celestial Void Sect burned crimson.
A sequence of blood-red auroras moved through the sky, creating designs that had not emerged since the beginning of recorded history. The stars that should have sparkled across the night like scattered pearls now remained concealed behind thick red mist. The moon which typically gazed upon the world with silver brightness seemed to have absorbed fresh blood stains in its essence.
Within the grand hall of the Celestial Void Mountain's peak, Sect Master Di Tian stood perfectly still, his ancient eyes fixed upon the disturbing celestial phenomenon. Behind him, twelve elders knelt in perfect formation, none daring to speak before their leader. The tension in the air was palpable, so thick it could be cut with a blade.
"The signs do not lie," Di Tian finally spoke, his voice carrying the weight of centuries. Though he appeared no older than forty, with his black hair streaked by a single strand of silver and his face unmarred by wrinkles, those who knew him understood he had lived through the rise and fall of dynasties. "The Harbinger of Chaos has been born."
Elder Wei, the oldest among the twelve, raised his head slightly. "Sect Master, the ancient texts speak of many omens. Perhaps this is merely—"
"Silence!" Di Tian's command was not loud, yet it carried enough spiritual pressure to crack the jade floor beneath Elder Wei's knees. "I have personally witnessed this sign once before, ten thousand years ago, before my ascension to the Ancestral Transformation realm. What followed was the near destruction of our world."
The elders exchanged worried glances. Their sect master rarely spoke of his past, and never of events from before his leadership of the Celestial Void Sect.
"The child must be found," Di Tian continued, turning to face his subordinates. His eyes gleamed with a cold light that made even these powerful cultivators shudder. "And eliminated. The fate of all cultivation rests upon this."
As if responding to his declaration, the blood aurora outside intensified, casting the entire hall in an eerie crimson glow. The elders could feel the heavens themselves trembling.
"Dispatch all available Nascent Soul cultivators," Di Tian ordered. "Search every village, every town within five hundred li. The child will have been born tonight, under this cursed sky. Find anyone who has given birth, and execute them along with their offspring."
"All of them, Sect Master?" asked Elder Lu, his voice barely audible.
Di Tian's gaze fell upon him like a mountain. "Would you question me when the fate of our world hangs in the balance? Yes, all of them. One life, or even a hundred, is nothing compared to the calamity that awaits should the Harbinger reach maturity."
The elders kowtowed, pressing their foreheads against the cold jade floor. "We obey, Sect Master."
As they filed out, Di Tian called out to the youngest among them. "Elder Feng."
A lean man with sharp features paused and turned. Though the youngest of the council, Elder Feng had already reached the late stages of the Nascent Soul realm, a testament to his innate talent and ruthless determination.
"Sect Master?"
"There is a Zhi family in the village at the foot of our mountain. The wife was heavy with child when last I noticed. Begin there."
Elder Feng's eyes widened slightly, but he quickly composed himself. "The Zhi family... isn't the husband one of our former outer sect disciples?"
"Yes," Di Tian said coldly. "Zhi Tian, who reached the Foundation Core realm before abandoning the sect to live as a mortal. His spiritual roots were mediocre, but his wife..." He paused, a flicker of something dark passing across his face. "His wife has bloodlines that should never have mixed with his. Go there first."
Elder Feng bowed deeply. "It shall be done."
***
In a humble dwelling at the foot of the Celestial Void Mountain, Zhi Tian paced outside the birthing room, his face drawn with worry. Though only in his thirties, his hair was already streaked with gray, the price of abandoning cultivation after reaching the Foundation Core realm. Each agonized cry from his wife tore at his heart.
"Master," a voice called from beside him. Zhou Ming, a former slave whom Zhi Tian had freed years ago, stood watching him with concern. Though nearly fifty, Zhou Ming's body remained powerful, honed through decades of martial arts training. Without spiritual cultivation, he had nonetheless reached the peak of what a mortal body could achieve. "You should sit. Your pacing helps no one."
Zhi Tian shook his head. "Something is wrong, Ming. The sky... and the birthing is taking too long." He looked up at the blood-red auroras that painted the night sky. "In all my years at the sect, I never saw such an omen."
Another scream tore through the night, followed by the sudden cry of an infant. Zhi Tian froze, then rushed toward the door, only to be halted by the midwife who emerged, her face ashen.
"Master Zhi," the old woman whispered, her hands trembling as she wiped them on her apron. "The child... the child is born. But there is a mark..."
"A mark? What mark? Is my wife well?" Zhi Tian pushed past her into the room.
On the bed lay his wife, Mei Lin, her beautiful face drenched in sweat, her breathing shallow. In her arms was a small bundle, wrapped in white cloth now stained with blood. When she saw her husband, tears filled her eyes.
"My love," she whispered. "Look at our son. Look at what fate has bestowed upon him."
With trembling hands, Zhi Tian pulled back the cloth. The baby was perfect in every way, with a full head of black hair and strong limbs that kicked in the air. But on his chest, directly over his heart, was a birthmark—a crimson symbol that seemed to pulse with its own light, in the shape of a broken sword.
"The Mark of Calamity," Zhi Tian breathed, his face draining of all color. "Heaven have mercy on us all."