Chapter 1: The Mysterious Legacy

Ten blazing suns hung high above the sky, their fiery radiance engulfing the heavens and blanketing the four corners of the world, vast and unending. It seemed as if this light had flowed ceaselessly through the annals of history, never to be extinguished.

Upon the earth, mounds, ravines, wilderness, and deserts stretched as far as the eye could see. Desolation reigned everywhere. Sparse, dwarfed vegetation clung to the scorched ground, struggling for survival, their life a tenuous thread amid hardship. When the scorching wind swept by, clouds of sand and dust filled the air, blotting out sun and sky. As these grains settled, they rubbed against each other with a soft, mournful hiss, as though groaning in agony, lamenting the harshness of the land and the cruelty of fate. Occasionally, as the sand shifted, it would reveal scattered, bleached bones—none whole.

Ten suns blazed overhead, turning day into an unbroken inferno, with no respite of night.

This was the primordial world—an endless expanse of scorched earth, misery manifest in every direction.

It was a tragic, twisted, and sorrowful era. The most precious thing was not gold, nor pearls and jewels, but—water.

***

Beneath the searing sun, as if walking through a furnace, Zang Li climbed with labored breaths. Sweat evaporated the instant it emerged, his strength waning with each step. Beset by exhaustion, he finally reached the summit of a mountain.

A fierce, restless wind swept past, whipping his hempen robe until it snapped and fluttered like a banner.

“One day, I too will become a mighty figure, admired by all—just like them!” Zang Li straightened, his breath heavy, and gazed into the distance. Far away, hundreds or thousands of silvery dragons soared, linking sky and earth, rolling and surging as they cascaded from the unknown. These were the celestial rivers summoned by warriors who had reached the rank of Traveler and above.

Because of them, humanity clung to life. Without these warriors, ordinary folk would have perished long ago from thirst. For now, Zang Li was still among the common—though he had begun to grasp the art of battle, standing half a step at the threshold of cultivation.

The mountain was high, offering a commanding view over all below. Standing atop its peak, Zang Li’s spirit surged with pride and fervor—his blood boiled, his fighting will roaring like the tide. Clenching his fists, he shouted to the heavens, pouring out his heart: “Two years of grinding hardship from west to east, enduring countless trials and torment—finally, I have become a Soldier. I am not far from the rank of Brave. Though the road ahead may hold endless difficulties, I will never give up!”

“I will become stronger—ever stronger—until one day, I achieve the feats of my idol, the Eastern Emperor, forging immortal glory, reigning supreme, my name resounding through the Five Wildernesses, eternal through the ages!”

“One day, I will use my own fists to shatter the heavens, crush the ten suns, and enslave the Celestial Clan… Wait for me, Celestials—your doom draws near!”

“Remember my name—Zang Li!”

Zang—Li—

The mountains echoed his shout, rumbling endlessly, as if moved by his resolve, newly alive, bowing and singing his praises. Every peak thundered forth its voice, the sound not fading with distance but growing ever louder, until it rivaled the clamor of the heavens, shaking the world.

Suddenly, thunder exploded high above. Where the sky had been empty, a patch of deep blackness spread like ink, charged with a strange, restless power, as if preparing to birth some mighty being from the sea of eternal time.

A bolt of lightning cracked, winding like dragon or serpent, a divine blade cutting through the void, splitting the darkness to reveal the chaos beyond.

“Frightened, are you? Hahaha…” At first Zang Li was stunned by this bizarre spectacle, rendered speechless. But soon, he burst into boisterous laughter. “Ha! Clearly, I am destined to be a peerless genius…”

Lightning flashed!

Before he could finish his words, a wild bolt of lightning shot from the swirling chaos, its path impossible to track. It darted down, striking Zang Li square between the brows.

“Ah…” Zang Li felt as if his very soul had been smashed with a great hammer, shattering instantly. He barely uttered half a groan before fainting dead away. Only his scorched body remained, tumbling down the mountainside.

Fortunately, the bodies of humans in this primordial world were robust, and the slope was gentle. He rolled to a stop halfway down, caught by a loose stone. Though his wounds looked bloody, his bones were unbroken and his life was not in danger.

Yet even so, Zang Li did not wake. His body twitched now and then—the aftershock of that lightning had not yet faded…

……

“Even if one can traverse the cosmos, invincible among men, mastering the Dao and commanding the elements, in the end, fate cannot be overcome… All efforts come to naught…” A faint, wistful voice sounded in the world of Zang Li’s consciousness. It was as if the Lord of Heaven himself spoke these words, each syllable sparking flashes of light—stars shifting, or golden lotuses blooming in the void.

Out of that brilliance, a towering figure slowly took shape—a stalwart man, though his body was insubstantial, almost ethereal. “So I have returned. In the end, fate left me one last chance, freeing me from regret.”

His eyes were closed, dark hair billowing though there was no wind, betraying his inner turmoil. He was far from calm. “Alas, my powers remain unperfected; I cannot glimpse higher realms. Even this remnant of my spirit is about to fade… Yet the will of the heavens has granted me another opportunity, letting my legacy endure. I believe that one day, my wish will be fulfilled… Time is short; let me see…”

The man opened his eyes—instantly, clouds and winds shifted, chaos roiling within his gaze, overturning heaven and earth. Two beams of divine light welled up, containing infinite pressure. His eyes were piercing, as if seeing through all things—past, present, and future, the highest wisdom brewing within.

“So, just a Soldier!”

He surveyed the world of consciousness, but found only chaos and desolation. Its master had barely stepped onto the path of cultivation and could not yet “tame the wilderness.” Worse, the man noticed that his own return had left deep, long cracks across this world, as if the void itself had been torn—scars slow to heal.

Such wounds, if left unattended, would choke off the path to power for even the greatest prodigy, strangling promise in the cradle. Damage to the soul is the hardest to mend.

“Fortunately, you encountered me!” The man only frowned at this dilemma, sighing nonetheless. “Heaven’s will arranged our meeting; I cannot deny it. Since it is you, so be it. In my life, I created many peerless arts. Of these, I have selected a few to pass on to you. I hope you will grow and not disgrace my name.”

With that, he waved his right hand, sending forth several globes of light. His left hand reached into the void and drew forth a cluster of consciousness—Zang Li’s. At this moment, Zang Li’s mind was muddled, unaware of anything.

As soon as the globes of light merged with his consciousness, they vanished without a trace.

“Within these are the Way of Artifact Refinement, the Art of Weapon Advancement, the Perfection of the Five Elements Lock, which took me countless ages to collect… All were meant for myself, but alas, I can no longer use them… There is also my Fourfold Diagram, my Ten Thousand Forms Fist perfected through a hundred battles—though damaged now, with your effort they will one day be complete and carry you through the world… Lastly, the Tenfold Body Refining Art, my final creation, meant to break the shackles of the heavens. I do not know the outcome of its last transformation, or if it can truly reach higher realms. Everything now depends on you…”

He faltered, sighing deeply. His expression was pained, as though wrestling with a difficult decision. At last, he resolved himself, drawing his hands through the void to reveal another world—one even more ruined than the primordial one, bereft of life, without beast or human, its vegetation all withered and dead.

“Come out—now…” He reached in and pulled. Suddenly, a strange change occurred!

A jet-black bolt of lightning shot out, seized by the man. It writhed and struggled as if alive, trying to break free, its savage aura filling the void with scenes of blood and slaughter—mountains of corpses, seas of blood, the sky overwhelmed.

“Ha!”

The man summoned all his might, divine power erupting. Amid crackling thunder, he subdued the black lightning, forcing its murderous energy to recede until, vanquished, it ceased to resist. As the visions faded into nothing, its true form appeared—a great spear, nine feet long, black as night.

Upon close inspection, strands of golden light flickered within the darkness, forming two strange characters—not of any known tongue, neither fully curved nor straight, yet bearing an overwhelming majesty. If one’s mind resonated with them, their meaning would emerge:

One character meant “Sunpiercer,” the other “Sunshooter.”

There are a few chapters in reserve that will be released in turn—please support them.

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