The Architect of Ruin: The Corruption of SaiThe boy, trembling and battered, looked up at Die Yuan with wide, tear-filled eyes. He had just been saved from certain death, plucked from the jaws of fate by a man who radiated more pressure than the heavens themselves.
"Why?" the boy whispered, his voice cracking. "Why did you save me?"
Die Yuan looked down, his eyes like two abysses. "Because I saw a spark of madness in you that matches my own. You have a fire, boy. I chose to keep it from being extinguished."
"But... didn't anyone see?" the boy asked, looking around the desolate wasteland.
"No," Die Yuan replied coldly. "In this place, there is only you and I. Your life was forfeit, but I have claimed it. Tell me, who was it that you feared so much that you were ready to die?"
The boy's face twisted in fear. "My fiancée's husband. He is a monster... a powerful cultivator. No one can stand against him."
Die Yuan let out a dark, mocking laugh that seemed to vibrate the very air. "A husband? A petty clan leader? You think your life was in danger because of him? There is no one in this realm with the courage to challenge me, let alone threaten someone under my shadow. If it pleases you, I could erase his entire clan from existence before the sun sets."
The boy stared in disbelief. "How... how can you say that? They are an entire army!"
In response, Die Yuan released a mere fraction of his power—the Peak Stage of Level 7. The ground cracked instantly. The gravity became so heavy that the boy was slammed face-first into the dirt, his lungs gasping for air as if the oxygen itself had fled in terror.
Realizing he was in the presence of a god-like being, the boy crawled forward and grabbed Die Yuan's feet. "Please... make me your disciple! Teach me to be like you!"
Die Yuan's lips curled into a faint, predatory smile. "Very well. From this day, you are my disciple. But there is a problem, Sai. Your heart is too sweet. You forgive too easily. To walk my path, you must first kill the 'human' inside you."
The Lesson of the KnifeA few days later, Die Yuan approached Sai, carrying a small, fluffy white animal. It chirped innocently, its eyes bright and trusting.
"Here," Die Yuan said, handing the creature to Sai.
"Oh! Master, he's so cute!" Sai smiled, cradling the animal. "Do you want me to take care of him? To play with him?"
Die Yuan's expression didn't change. "No, you fool. I want you to kill it."
Sai froze. the smile vanished. "Kill it? But Master... it's innocent! It has done nothing wrong. Why would I hurt something so small and helpless?"
"Because," Die Yuan leaned in, his voice a deadly hiss, "in this world, kindness is a disease. Kind people spend their lives saving others, but when their own dark hour comes, no one—absolutely no one—comes to save them. If you cannot kill a beast, you will never kill a king."
He handed Sai a rusted, jagged knife. "Do it. Now."
Sai's hands shook so violently the knife nearly fell. He couldn't move. Die Yuan watched him with a look of profound disappointment.
"Listen to me, my dear disciple," Die Yuan said, his tone turning eerily calm. "In a world of martial arts, there is no God. Your mother told you God wants the best for everyone? Look at you! Where was her God when you were being beaten? Where was her God when you were left to rot? In this world, you must be your own God. You must be the one who decides who lives and who dies. To reach the peak, I would burn a thousand villages. I would slaughter every child in a country if it meant I became stronger. Do you still feel 'love' in your heart, Sai?"
Sai looked at the animal, then at the cold eyes of his master. Something inside him snapped. The light in his eyes went dull.
"No, Master," Sai whispered. He gripped the knife and plunged it into the animal.
Sai looked up, expecting praise. "I did it, Master. I was quick."
SLAP!
The force of Die Yuan's hand sent Sai spinning to the ground. Before he could recover, another slap landed, then another. Die Yuan's face was a mask of fury.
"You idiot!" Die Yuan roared. "You gave it a quick death? You showed it mercy! I told you to kill the human inside you, but you still acted out of pity. You should have made it suffer. You should have made it fear you so much that it remembered your face in its next life! You are still weak!"
The Frozen HeartTo finalize the transformation, Die Yuan grabbed Sai by the collar and flew him to the highest peak of a jagged mountain. Below them lay a peaceful, green valley with a small, bustling village.
"Look down there," Die Yuan commanded. "A village of 'innocents.' Go down there, Sai. Kill every single person. Man, woman, and child."
Sai's heart stopped. "Master... the whole village? I can't—"
"If you do not," Die Yuan interrupted, "I will not only destroy that village, but I will erase you and everything you ever loved from history. Go. And remember: treat the children and the elderly the same way you treat a soldier. No mercy. No exceptions."
Sai descended the mountain like a hollow shell. As he entered the village, a small girl ran up to him. She didn't see a killer; she saw a traveler. She held out a piece of candy, her face lit up with a pure, beautiful smile.
Sai looked at her. He remembered his Master's words. He gripped his sword.
He didn't just kill her. He followed a dark technique Die Yuan had whispered to him—a way to strike so that the victim stayed conscious as their body was dismantled. The girl's scream was the last thing the village heard before the massacre truly began.
Twenty-four hours later, Sai returned to the mountaintop. His clothes were soaked in crimson. His eyes, once full of warmth, were now like shards of ancient ice. There was no emotion left—only a cold, dead vacuum.
"It is done," Sai said.
Die Yuan looked into his disciple's eyes and finally nodded. "Now... we can truly begin your training."
The Path to Divinity: Die Yuan's True PowerFor the next year, Die Yuan put Sai through a hellish training regimen, teaching him the forbidden arts: Clone Techniques, Shadow Steps, Soul Manipulation, and the devastating Palm of Ruin.
But as Sai grew, he realized that he was only seeing the tip of the iceberg of his Master's power.
The Power Ranking of a GodIn this world, a Level 8 Peak Stage cultivator is a walking natural disaster. A single such individual can solo an entire country, destroying 50% of its population and infrastructure without breaking a sweat. Their basic attacks include Blood Manipulation and Shadow Control.
However, Die Yuan is not a normal Level 8. When he enters his True and Final Form, he transcends the laws of reality.
The True Form of Die Yuan:
In this state, his power increases by three entire stages, and he exists outside of the normal timeline. He is a "Singularity."
Omniversal Manipulation: With a simple snap of his fingers, he can crush cosmic beams or erase entire pocket dimensions.
The Laws of Existence: He controls Time and Space perfectly. He can see every past and every future simultaneously.
Instant Death Ability: If he wills it, a target simply ceases to exist. There is no struggle, no defense.
Soul and Life Control: He decides who can be reincarnated and who is erased forever. He can die and be reborn instantly with his full power intact.
The Locked System: Currently, Die Yuan's "Omnipotent" powers—like Mind Reading, Total Law Control, and Universe Hopping—are locked by his System. They will only unlock when a threat large enough to shake the foundations of the multiverse appears.
As Die Yuan stood on the mountain, watching his disciple practice the dark arts, he looked toward the sky. The mortal world was now beneath him. The "Die Family" was established, his disciple was a monster, and his enemies were dust.
"The Immortal World is next," Die Yuan murmured. "And I will not stop until the heavens themselves bow to the name Die Yuan."