Diep Van So – A Calamity from Past Lives?
In the snowy forest of plum blossoms, Diep Van So sat in silent meditation. Her breath carried a cold mist, yet instead of serenity, a chill gripped her heart. From deep within her mind, a whisper arose—an ancient voice, echoing across eons:
"You… are the seed of ruin from a past life. You burned a sect to ash, cursed the Three Realms..."
Her eyes snapped open. Trembling fingers touched her lips. Flashbacks flickered—of a red-robed woman bathed in blood, standing alone amidst a sea of fire, her gaze hollow, her hands soaked with karma.
Lang Tieu watched her closely but chose silence. In his heart, he knew—some burdens must be willingly revealed, not forcefully pried open.
Author's thought: "Some fates lie not in the stars, but in the residue of karma. Even gods, in moments of weakness, sow the seeds of their own downfall."
Little An – Hunted by the Righteous
Meanwhile, whispers of a boy who could command Remnants—the ghostly fragments of old cultivators—spread like wildfire among righteous sects.
In the halls of Jade Void Sect, a senior disciple proclaimed:
"A child who wields Remnants? If not purified, he will be the root of future calamity!"
Yet before the righteous could act, The Hidden Yin Sect made their move. Assassins were dispatched.
Lang Tieu, forced to act, took Little An into hiding in the Illusory Valley of the Immortal Mountains, a forbidden region erased from most cultivation maps.
Author's thought: "Even the purest seed can be cast as evil when planted in the wrong soil. Innocence has no defense against fear clothed as justice."
The Mad Cultivator
Within the Illusory Valley, an eerie scream tore through the mist. A disheveled man with crimson eyes lunged forward—hair wild, clothes torn, aura fierce beyond logic.
"You came… to steal my Heaven's Secret!"
Lang Tieu stood calm, replying, "I seek refuge, not conflict."
But reason had long fled the man's mind. They clashed—sword aura and palm strikes reverberating through the valley. Lang Tieu eventually subdued him with the Mystic Tortoise Soul-Piercing Palm.
Only then did he discover the man was Ke Vo Ky, once hailed as a prodigy, now lost to madness after cultivating forbidden techniques.
Author's thought: "The line between genius and lunacy is drawn by fortune. Strip away luck, and even dragons fall into the abyss."
The Hidden Gate of the Forsaken City Opens
Far to the south, within shadowed catacombs, The Hidden Yin Sect began unlocking a segment of the Abyssal Forsaken City—a prison for ancient, malevolent Remnants.
A high priest whispered in reverence:
"Once the city awakens, even the Ancients shall kneel before the Remnant Emperor's will!"
Dark fog rose. Screams echoed. A black pillar pierced the heavens—ominous, irreversible.
Author's thought: "Some doors should never be opened. But power whispers too sweetly to those with broken hearts and empty thrones."
Petty Men and Bitter Tongues
At a frontier market, Lang Tieu sought medicine for Diep Van So's wounds. A pale-faced cultivator with mocking eyes—Tao Chinh—approached:
"What's this? The great Lang Tieu reduced to buying herbs among beggars?"
Lang Tieu ignored him. But when Tao Chinh trampled his herbs and accused Little An of being a demon in disguise, patience shattered.
With a single palm strike, Lang Tieu sent him flying, blood spurting from his mouth.
"Speak as a man, be treated as such. Harm what I protect, and you'll taste the wrath of one who has nothing left to lose."
Author's thought: "Silence is mercy. But mercy shown too often is mistaken for weakness. True strength speaks in thunder."
A Hidden Master Appears
Inside a quiet teahouse nearby, an old man in gray robes sipped bitter tea. Watching Lang Tieu disappear into the mist, he murmured:
"Still alive… That child from the past now dares to block the heavens."
He was Te Vo Sac, a former senior of Lang Tieu's Tai Qing Sect, once declared a traitor and vanished without trace.