Copper locks, silver city arrows fell, trampling mountains and rivers, old long rivers.
Tianlu's profound chivalry, sitting north and facing south at the bridgehead.
Golden spears and iron horses in Yan City, the world cleared with a roar of anger.
Leading a myriad of troops through Tiangu Valley, slaying a hundred thousand enemies to honor the valiant souls.
This describes the scene of Yan City in the Great Yuan Kingdom, which, after countless wars, welcomed a century of prosperity. The mottled arrow marks on the city walls tell future generations of the brutal battles that took place here.
The peaceful and prosperous era lasted a hundred years, but then chaos erupted in the wilderness. The Western Regions, Eastern Continent, and Northern Regions were all engulfed in war.
Marquis Chiye, the Great Yuan Kingdom's first God of War, was ordered to the frontier. He led a million strong army to guard the wilderness, quell the chaos, and eliminate the Yao Race.
In ten years, Marquis Chiye slew no less than a million of the Yao Race. It was truly a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, with rivers of blood flowing. Throughout the entire wilderness, mentioning Marquis Chiye would cause everyone to turn pale with fear and tremble from head to toe... Yan City, located at the throat of the Great Yuan Kingdom, had a mountain range stretching for ten thousand li just outside its gates. To enter the Great Yuan Kingdom, Yan City was the essential fortress.
Yan City in autumn was filled with desolation. A few withered yellow leaves spun and floated down from the sky to the ground.
Pedestrians stepped on them, making crackling sounds. Some children picked up the withered yellow leaves, comparing whose leaf was bigger.
The streets were bustling with people and traffic. The sounds of haggling from shops and the clamor from restaurants painted a picture of a prosperous era.
"Marquis Chiye's son was beaten to death on the arena! Hurry and go see!"
A sudden shout echoed through the street. People dropped what they were doing and rushed towards the center of Yan City.
"Who is so bold as to dare kill Marquis Chiye's son? His father is our Great Yuan Kingdom's guardian God of War!"
A waiter from a restaurant, with a white towel draped over his shoulder, ran and spoke, his expression indignant, as he followed the crowd towards the scene of the incident.
"Marquis Chiye hasn't returned for three years. Rumor has it he already died at the frontier. The Marquis Manor's glory is gone forever."
By the time they arrived, only a pool of blood remained on the arena. Marquis Chiye's son had already been carried away and sent back to Chiye Marquis Manor...
"Zheng'er..."
From within an exquisite courtyard, a woman's heartbreaking scream could be heard.
"Doctor Liang, please save my son!" She then slumped powerlessly by the bedside.
Standing nearby was an old man in his fifties, who sighed helplessly: "Madam, the Young Master suffered a severe blow to the head, injuring his brain. At most, this old man can only preserve his life for three days, unless... a miracle occurs."
Upon hearing this news, the woman's body trembled slightly, and a wave of dizziness swept over her, as if the world was spinning. A maid behind her quickly stepped forward and supported the woman.
On the large bed lay a fifteen or sixteen-year-old youth, his face sallow, his eyes tightly closed. It was clear he was breathing more out than in, not far from his last breath. On the back of his head was a bowl-sized scar, caused by a blunt object.
"Ling'er, go to the accounting office and get ten taels of silver for Doctor Liang."
The woman wiped away her tears and instructed the maid beside her.
"Madam, take care!"
The old man offered a word of comfort, unwilling to further distress the woman, whose face was etched with the marks of hardship. He shook his head, didn't take the silver, and left the room.
The room fell into a brief silence.
"Zheng'er, wake up quickly. Don't leave your mother alone."
The woman's voice choked with emotion.
In a daze, Chen Zheng seemed to hear his mother's call, sometimes distant, sometimes near.
"Didn't I die? How can I hear my mother's voice?"
Chen Zheng's consciousness was slowly recovering. He heard a woman gently sobbing, which made his heart ache.
He wanted to force his eyes open to see where he was, but countless fragmented pieces of information flooded his mind. His brain had suffered a severe injury, and it was very chaotic.
A powerful belief allowed him to open his eyes, and a blurry figure came into view.
Soft light streamed in from the window. A beautiful woman appeared in Chen Zheng's sight. She sat by the bed, her brows tightly furrowed, looking at him with a hint of guilt.
The woman looked to be in her thirties, frail in stature. Her fair skin, however, was etched with marks of worry. At this moment, her face was full of sorrow, and due to her helplessness, the tears that slid down her forehead went unwiped.
She tightly held his hand, afraid of losing this son.
"Mother!"
Chen Zheng stared blankly at the beautiful woman before him, calling out a single word as if in a dream. Even if this was a dream, he wished the dream would continue, never to awaken.
"Zheng'er, you're finally awake..."
Hearing his call, the woman quickly wiped away the tears on her face, her slender eyebrows relaxed, and a smile appeared on her face.
"Mother, I caused trouble again and made you worry!"
He stuck out his tongue playfully, but the pain from the back of his head made his mouth twitch.
"Zheng'er, you just woke up and need more rest. I've asked Ling'er to stew some ginseng soup for you; she'll bring it over soon!"
His mother secretly covered her face to wipe away tears, and Chen Zheng's heart ached: "Mother, you should rest. I want to lie down by myself for a while."
"Then you rest well. I'll come back to see you later."
After saying this, his mother left the room.
Only Chen Zheng remained in the room, staring blankly at the ceiling. Sandalwood incense burned on the table, and its faint fragrance slowly cleared his mind.
Looking at his two thin arms, he gave a bitter smile and shook his head. Due to being a premature birth, he had been weak and sickly since childhood. The path of Martial Artist seemed to have nothing to do with him.
Marquis Chiye's son not knowing how to Cultivate had long been a laughingstock in Yan City after meals.
They all said that a tiger's den produces no cur dogs, but he was an exception. At fifteen, he had yet to open his Martial Pulse, which, according to the Martial Artist Rank, was equivalent to being a good-for-nothing.
Without strength, he would only be bullied by others. This time was a bloody lesson.
Throughout the entire continent, the Martial Dao was prevalent. Powerful Martial Artist could move mountains, overturn seas, hear ant fights, and sustain themselves on Qi without food...
Martial Artist Cultivate through many Ranks. Ordinary people are all Acquired, from one to nine levels.
Breaking free from the Acquired shackles, one enters the Kai Mai Realm, absorbing the Spiritual Qi of heaven and earth, integrating it into the meridians, and storing it in the Dantian.
The Kai Mai Realm, like Acquired, is divided into nine levels. The changes in each level are very complex, and Chen Zheng does not know much about them.
Above Kai Mai is Heavenly Gang. Reaching this Realm is already considered a master, and there are only a handful in Yan City.
Above Heavenly Gang, one condenses Celestial Phenomenon. Reaching this Rank allows one to summon wind and rain, achieving great hegemony.
His father, Chen Yu, had already reached the Celestial Phenomenon Realm, the God of War in the hearts of the Great Yuan Kingdom's people.
His mother, Yang Su, the Young Miss of the Yang Family in Mochen, was once also a proud daughter of heaven. She married Chen Yu at twenty, a perfect match, becoming a beautiful tale.
Outside rumors said that Chen Yu was attacked by the Yao Race at the frontier and died in the wilderness.
Rumors spread like a fierce tiger, and in just a few days, they spread throughout the entire Great Yuan Kingdom.
Even his mother's Family, upon hearing the news, sent people to seize the most valuable gold, silver, and jewelry from their home. He witnessed all of this but was powerless to do anything.
His mother grieved for three days and three nights, not even drinking a drop of water. Since then, his mother never returned to the Yang Family, raising him alone in Yan City.
In just a few years, the Marquis Manor's status plummeted. His mother had asked people to inquire about his father's whereabouts, but there had been no news.
Whether his father was alive or dead, no one knew. Three years had passed without any word.
News about Marquis Chiye seemed to be sealed by an invisible hand. Was Marquis Chiye deliberately not returning? Or was someone secretly orchestrating everything, like a mystery?
Yan City appeared calm on the surface, but undercurrents had long been stirring.
These years, due to his health, he had been well protected by his mother, living a muddled life. But this injury was enough to make him sober up.
He took a deep breath, and a surge of Killing Intent erupted in his eyes: "Tian Tong, you humiliated my mother. One day, I will personally kill you!"
This time, he was ambushed; it was premeditated. He was insulted as a bastard and told he wasn't Marquis Chiye's son, which amounted to humiliating his mother for being unfaithful. In a fit of anger, he stepped onto the arena and was severely injured in the head by a Tian Family Disciple, brought back on the verge of death.
According to the laws of the Great Yuan Kingdom, if a Marquis's life or death is unknown for three years, his heir inherits the Marquis's title.
Chen Yu had only one heir, Chen Zheng. Three years had passed, and he was sixteen years old, so inheriting the title was originally unquestionable.
However, many people secretly coveted the title. As long as Chen Zheng voluntarily gave it up, the title could be replaced by other relatives.
His mother's clan had sent people several times to discuss the Chen Family relinquishing the title for a member of the Yang Family to inherit, but Yang Su sternly refused.
Three years ago, they disregarded their familial ties and plundered the Marquis Manor, completely severing their relationship.
"Strength, only powerful Martial Artist strength, can protect my dignity and protect my mother from humiliation!" Chen Zheng roared internally.
A sharp pain came from the back of his head. His skull had been cracked open, revealing a bloody hole. Blood seeped out, staining the gauze, and his vision went black...
Just as he was about to faint, a deep, resonant voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
"The chaos divine cauldron can devour all things in heaven and earth, refine the essence of the world, and transform the Spiritual Qi of all things!"
Before the voice finished, he completely fainted. When he woke up, it was already lamp-lighting time.