Chapter 1 – The Death of the Tyrant
The sky bled crimson.
Mountains cracked, rivers turned to steam, and the heavens themselves trembled as the final battle raged across the Immortal Realm.
Lightning tore through the clouds, striking a lone figure standing amidst a sea of corpses — the Immortal Tyrant, whose very presence warped reality.
He was draped in black and gold, eyes burning with ancient fire.
Ten thousand divine seals encircled him, holding back the gods who dared to defy him.
But even gods grow patient.
Even gods can wait for a tyrant to fall.
A sword of pure light pierced through the storm — wielded by the Celestial Empress, the only being he had ever once loved. Her face was calm, her tears vanishing before they could touch the ground.
> "Lian Xue," she whispered. "This is the end."
The Tyrant smiled. Blood slipped from the corner of his lips, black and burning.
He reached out to touch her face — but his hand dissolved into ash before it could reach.
> "So… it was you all along."
Her sword entered his heart.
He staggered back, flames rising from his body, devouring his immortal essence.
The heavens rejoiced — thunder cracked, and golden lotuses bloomed from his blood.
But as his body began to crumble, the Tyrant did not scream.
He laughed.
A hollow, weary sound that echoed through eternity.
> "If the heavens are so pure…"
"Then let them bear the weight of my sin."
The last thing he saw was the world collapsing into light.
Then — silence.
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Darkness.
A vast, endless void.
Lian Xue drifted weightlessly, stripped of power, memory, and form. Only one thought remained — regret.
> I destroyed everything…
Then, a voice — cold and mechanical — broke the void.
> [Initiating Rebirth Protocol…]
[Soul Fragment Detected: 999/1000.]
[Punishment Cycle: Continue.]
He felt himself falling.
Down, down, through layers of light and time, until he struck something solid.
A gasp left his lips.
He opened his eyes — and saw a cracked wooden ceiling above him.
The air was damp, heavy with the stench of rot.
His limbs ached, his body frail. Chains rattled around his wrists.
A hoarse voice barked nearby, followed by the crack of a whip.
> "Get up, slave!"
He blinked. His vision cleared — he was in a dark cellar filled with cages.
Around him, other men and women knelt, their eyes hollow.
> Where… am I?
Pain exploded in his head as memories flashed — fire, gods, betrayal, death.
He clutched his skull, trembling.
> "The heavens…" he whispered. "They… cursed me?"
Then, that same cold voice echoed once more in his mind.
> [Welcome back, Lian Xue.]
[Reincarnation Cycle: 999 of 1000.]
[Skill Evolution System Activated.]
He froze.
> "What… what are you?"
> [I am the path to your redemption.]
[Your strength shall now evolve through compassion.]
He laughed weakly — a sound that was half a sob.
> "Compassion? Me?"
The System did not answer.
Instead, a faint light pulsed in his chest, and words appeared before his eyes — translucent, divine runes floating in the air.
> [Quest: Aid another soul in despair.]
[Reward: Skill Unlock – Mercy.]
Before he could comprehend it, a soft cry reached him from the next cage — a small, trembling spirit fox, its white fur matted with blood.
Its eyes met his.
For the first time in centuries, something stirred inside his chest.
Not rage.
Not hunger.
Something quieter… like the first drop of rain after endless drought.
He reached out his chained hand toward the creature.
> "Don't die," he whispered.
A warmth spread through his palm — faint light glowing between his fingers.
The fox's breathing steadied. The chains around his wrist cracked, breaking.
> [Skill Unlocked: Mercy.]
[Skill Evolution Commencing…]
[Mercy → Soul Resonance.]
The air trembled.
Somewhere deep in his soul, the Tyrant's laughter echoed again — softer this time, tinged with disbelief.
> What are you becoming, Lian Xue?
He looked down at his glowing hand and the healed creature curled against it.
For the first time, he didn't have an answer.
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End of Chapter 1 — "The Death of the Tyrant"