“Mo Yang, Elder Si is already dead, do you still have the face to kneel here? You should die to atone for your sins!”
“Elder Si fell because of you, causing our Spirit Void Sect a huge loss. Your death is not to be regretted!”
“Cultivating for so many years, you can’t even step into the Qi Condensation Realm. Mo Yang, you are a good-for-nothing. The Spirit Void Sect does not support good-for-nothings, get out of the Spirit Void Sect!”
“Elder Si has already fallen, and no one is protecting you anymore. The Sect Master has ordered that starting tomorrow, Wood Peak will be merged into Main Peak. From now on, you will have no place in the Spirit Void Sect!”
...In the back mountain of the Spirit Void Sect, a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy knelt blankly before a cenotaph.
Facing the various scoldings and curses from over a dozen Sect Disciples, some even pointing their fingers at his forehead... but he seemed not to hear... his expression was vacant, his eyes hollow, like a walking corpse.
He was Mo Yang!
The only remaining Disciple of Wood Peak.
Wood Peak was originally one of the five Peaks of the Spirit Void Sect, but it had completely declined over the years.
Because Elder Si often went out to seek various medicinal materials for him, he had no time to attend to the many affairs of Wood Peak. The Sect was extremely dissatisfied with this. The Disciples of Wood Peak were either directly removed by the Sect or voluntarily joined other Peaks, and Wood Peak had long been empty.
Mo Yang had long anticipated the merger of Wood Peak this time.
It was just that when this day truly arrived, he still felt an inexplicable sense of loss in his heart.
Looking at the newly built cenotaph in front of him, that kind face kept appearing in his mind, lingering... In his heart, Elder Si was not only his Master but also his only relative in this world.
He was originally an orphan. Ten years ago, Elder Si went out for an experience, rescued him from the mouth of a Vicious Beast, then brought him back to the Spirit Void Sect, took him as a Disciple, and taught him to Cultivate.
At that time, as soon as he began to Cultivate, he was able to directly condense True Qi, and his astonishing Comprehension Ability caused a sensation throughout the Spirit Void Sect.
It was just that he never dreamed that what awaited him was not a magnificent halo, but endless despair and darkness.
After ten years of Cultivation, he couldn't even enter the Qi Condensation Realm, the first Realm of a Cultivator, because he couldn't store the condensed True Qi in his Meridians.
In the path of Cultivation, Mo Yang was a true good-for-nothing.
Over these ten years, he had already memorized all the knowledge of martial arts that Elder Si had taught him, as well as the Cultivation Techniques and Mind-Cultivation Techniques he had given him.
But... now, all of this felt more like a cruel mockery to him.
These years, Elder Si had always tried every possible method to prevent his Prodigy-like talent from being buried.
However, in the end, it was all in vain.
Half a month ago, news spread that a sacred herb had appeared in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, attracting various Sects. Upon hearing the news, Elder Si, despite everyone's dissuasion, insisted on going.
He knew that this was very likely an opportunity to change Mo Yang’s fate... but he never returned!
Subsequently, several Elders of the Spirit Void Sect secretly went to investigate and learned from some Cultivators that Elder Si was killed by a powerful expert from the Great Dao Sect while trying to seize the sacred herb.
The Great Dao Sect is a terrifying, unimaginably Peak major power, with a Legacy spanning ten thousand years and unfathomable foundations.
Facing such a behemoth, the Elders of the Spirit Void Sect dared not speak out in anger and shifted all responsibility onto Mo Yang.
Many Disciples were also like this. From then on, Mo Yang faced an overwhelming barrage of malicious words every day.
“After tomorrow, there will be no Wood Peak in the Spirit Void Sect. Go make your own way!” Elder Er glanced at him from afar, dropped this sentence, and then turned and left.
After the Disciples left, Mo Yang sat alone in front of the cenotaph, looking at the overgrown weeds around him, listening to the wailing wind blowing past his ears, his mood sinking to rock bottom.
“It’s time to leave...”
After a long time, he murmured softly to himself.
But then, an endless confusion surged into his heart.
Where would he go?
Where could he go?
After a brief moment of confusion, a hint of self-mockery appeared in his eyes.
He murmured, “I am an orphan to begin with. The world is vast, where is not home!”
“Master... rest assured, I will definitely step onto the martial Dao, I will become a strong Cultivator, and one day I will avenge you!”
He couldn't understand his own situation. Everything seemed normal, but he just couldn't store the condensed True Qi in his Meridians. Every time True Qi was condensed, it would disappear within a short period, and it had been like this for ten years.
Not only was Elder Si helpless, but the Elders of the Spirit Void Sect also had no clue and couldn't find the reason.
In the sky, the last ray of twilight faded, and the entire world plunged into darkness.
Mo Yang knew this was his last night at the Spirit Void Sect.
He silently sat cross-legged in front of the cenotaph, his Mind-Cultivation Technique running. A wisp of True Qi slowly condensed in his Meridians. As usual, the True Qi slowly dissipated not long after it was condensed.
He sighed helplessly. It had been like this for ten years, and he had long grown accustomed to it.
Moreover, recently, every time he condensed True Qi, he felt a faint pain in his Dantian, as if his body was tearing apart. This made Mo Yang feel a trace of fear.
Because if his Dantian shattered, he would truly be completely cut off from the path of Cultivation.
However, at this moment, his whole body suddenly trembled.
Immediately after, his Dantian felt as if it had shattered, and a crisp cracking sound actually came from it.
Mo Yang’s face changed drastically. Could it be that Heaven truly wanted to sever his path of Cultivation?
It was just that the outcome seemed different from what he had imagined.
The Dantian, which Cultivators could only open when they reached the Spirit-Connecting Realm, was now inexplicably penetrated instantly. The sudden change completely stunned Mo Yang.
Because at this moment, a vast amount of True Qi surged out from his Dantian, instantly filling the Meridians throughout his body.
Mo Yang was stunned. Could it be that the True Qi he had condensed over the years hadn't truly disappeared, but had been absorbed into his Dantian?
And the moment the Dantian was penetrated, it was as if something had been unsealed. Besides True Qi, a powerful force also erupted from the Dantian.
Mo Yang was extremely shocked. In just a few breaths, he felt as if the Meridians throughout his body were about to explode, and waves of tearing pain emanated from them.
This situation had never occurred before, and it caught him off guard.
Before he could recover, the surrounding scenery instantly changed drastically. When he opened his eyes again, he had actually arrived in a gray, hazy space.
Mo Yang’s heart was in turmoil. His consciousness was clear, but everything that was happening at this moment had subverted his understanding, like a bizarre and absurd dream.
What was this place?
He hurriedly scanned his surroundings... It looked like a dilapidated ruin, with broken stones scattered everywhere. It seemed to have experienced a terrifying battle, as some incomplete skeletons could still be vaguely seen among the broken stones.
Immediately after, his pupils contracted, because not far away, a figure was standing!
The person stood with his back to him, tall and burly.
Standing there, he was like an unscalable giant Peak, like an ancient god or demon.
This had completely exceeded Mo Yang's understanding of Cultivators. The figure in front of him unconsciously gave off an extremely terrifying sense of oppression. Even just a glance allowed one to feel that unparalleled Aura.
As Mo Yang looked, the figure slowly turned around.
It was a middle-aged man!
It was just that his face was somewhat blurry. He was clearly not far away, but in a trance, it seemed as if he was thousands of miles away.
“Who are you?”
Mo Yang involuntarily retreated, subconsciously asking.
His intuition told him that this was definitely an unimaginably powerful existence.
The middle-aged man silently looked at Mo Yang, his expression unreadable. He did not answer Mo Yang but spoke, “The fact that you can come here means you have passed through the darkest time!”
The calm words fell into Mo Yang's ears like a bolt from the blue, completely stunning him.
Clearly, the other party knew his experiences!
At the same time, endless questions arose in his heart... What was this place?
And who was this person?
He was sure this was not an illusion!
“Who exactly are you?”
Mo Yang asked again, his vigilance growing.
However, facing Mo Yang's second question, the middle-aged man still did not respond, but spoke to himself, “There is gain in every loss. After the darkness, dawn will surely come. When the Seal within your body breaks layer by layer, receiving Heaven-Defying power, you will embark on an invincible path!”
Mo Yang stood rooted to the spot, the middle-aged man's words falling into his ears like thunderclaps striking his heart, stirring up monstrous waves within him.
He had a Seal in his body? And what was Heaven-Defying power?
Could it be that this middle-aged man had seemingly tampered with him long ago?
If that were truly the case, then his ten years of dark days were probably all thanks to the other party!
If he hadn't heard it with his own ears, he wouldn't have dared to believe it was true. Why would a terrifying, unfathomable mysterious powerhouse do this to him?
Regarding his own past, his memory was only a blank. When he gained consciousness, he was brought to the Spirit Void Sect by Elder Si, and then came ten years of darkness.
Mo Yang couldn't calm down. He had already sensed it before: when his Dantian was penetrated, not only a vast amount of True Qi surged out, but also a powerful, mysterious force accompanied it.
Could that mysterious force be the Heaven-Defying power the other party spoke of?
“What is the Heaven-Defying power you speak of?”
Looking at the middle-aged man who was both close at hand and seemingly thousands of miles away, Mo Yang’s emotions fluctuated extremely violently.
“Heavenly Dao Legacy!”
The middle-aged man seemed to smile, his eyes as brilliant as stars.
At this moment, his whole body exuded an Aura that dominated heaven and earth. As the four words fell, they sounded like thunder, shaking this gray, hazy space continuously.
“I am just a remnant imprint, waiting only for you!”
The middle-aged man had no more words. His body suddenly transformed into a cloud of light mist and dispersed. The gray, hazy space trembled violently, as if a giant mechanism had been triggered.
Before Mo Yang could recover, he felt a force push him out... The night wind blew, Mo Yang’s thoughts returned, and he slowly opened his eyes. The newly built mound in front of him remained, but it appeared even more desolate under the hazy moonlight.
After he recovered, he hurriedly circulated his Cultivation. True Qi flowed in his Meridians. He discovered that his Cultivation had actually broken through the Qi Condensation Realm and the Spirit-Connecting Realm, directly leaping to the third Realm of Cultivators, the Earth Profound Realm.
He simply couldn't believe it. Ten years of Cultivation nightmares had been inexplicably resolved, and in such a short time, he had actually broken through six minor Realms!
The True Qi in his Meridians, driven by his Cultivation Technique, circulated continuously. The True Qi emanating from his body accurately told him that he had already reached the first stage of the Earth Profound Realm.
Recalling that strange space, he hurriedly concentrated to sense, and discovered that at some unknown time, a stone pagoda had appeared in his Dantian.
With a thought, the scene before him changed again. He instantly arrived in front of the stone pagoda, but looking at it up close, the stone pagoda was not complete.
The stone pagoda in front of him had eight layers, and above the eighth layer, it looked as if it had been cut off, with a clearly visible broken gap.
Light shimmered on the stone pagoda, and a layer of ancient stone skin seemed to have been shaken off, revealing several ancient characters. Mo Yang carefully distinguished them, and the two ancient characters seemed to be — Star Emperor!