Chapter 1: The Taste of Ash and Vengeance
It was the taste of ash and betrayal that scorched Xiao Tian's throat as his essence dissipated into nothingness. The searing pain of a thousand knives to his soul was but a whisper compared to the bitterness of his dying moments. Above him, Emperor Tianlong and Saintess Ling Xi stood framed against the swirling vortex of the Martial Sovereign's shattered domain. Their faces, usually masks of imperial serenity and ethereal beauty, were twisted into grotesque grins of triumph.
"The Martial Sovereign," Tianlong's voice, usually a booming declaration, was a hissing whisper, "he's reduced to dust. Fitting for one who dared to defy the heavens."
Ling Xi, the woman he had loved, the one he had envisioned sharing a throne with, simply watched, a cold calculating glint in her eyes. Her delicate hand, which had so often caressed his cheek, now held the very artifact that had torn through his core—the Nine Heavens Exterminating Pearl. He'd given it to her, a token of his complete and utter trust.
Fool. Utter, complete, naive fool.
His vision blurred, the faces of his betrayers melting into the darkness. He felt his cultivation, built over millennia, crumbling, his very being disintegrating. The last sensation was the bone deep cold of absolute nothingness, a black hole swallowing him whole. He was Xiao Tian, the Martial Sovereign, and he was dead.
The air was still, heavy with the smell of damp stone and stale incense. Xiao Tian's eyes snapped open, a jolt of pure terror electrifying his nerves. His heart pounded against his ribs like a trapped bird, each beat a painful thud against his eardrums. He gasped, sucking in a ragged breath, the smell of dust and mold filling his lungs. This wasn't the void. This wasn't nothingness.He felt… weak. A dull ache pulsed in his lower dantian, a sensation he knew all too well. He pushed himself up, his limbs feeling light, almost disconnected. He was lying on a thin, rough mat, a threadbare blanket tossed over his legs. The room was small, sparsely furnished: a wooden desk, a single oil lamp casting long, dancing shadows, and a chipped porcelain basin.
His eyes scanned the familiar, yet completely foreign, surroundings. The bare walls, the worn floorboards, the single barred window with a sliver of moonlight. No tapestries. No cultivation arrays. No endless scrolls.
This was his old disciple quarters. In the Azure Sky Sect. Thirty years ago.
A wave of nausea hit him, bile rising in his throat. Thirty years ago. Before his rise to power. Before his humiliation. Before his desperate, agonizing climb to the top of the martial world. Before his betrayal.
A wave of nausea hit him, bile rising in his throat. Thirty years ago. Before his rise to power. Before his humiliation, before his desperate, agonizing climb to the top of the martial world, before his betrayal.
He scrambled off the mat, his legs wobbly beneath him, and stumbled to the tarnished bronze mirror on the wall. The reflection staring back was that of a young man, no older than sixteen or seventeen. His face was gaunt, his eyes sunken with exhaustion, his hair unkempt. A faint, almost imperceptible scar ran from his left eyebrow to his temple—a memento from a sparring match he'd lost horribly. A match that had happened decades ago.
This was him. The powerless, mocked outer disciple Xiao Tian. The one who had his cultivation resources stolen. The one whose talent was deemed mediocre. The one who was looked down upon by almost everyone in the sect.
The realization hit him like a punch to the gut. He was back. He was really back. Not a dream. Not an illusion. He could feel the familiar hum of his basic qi circulation, sluggish and weak, so different from the boundless ocean of spiritual energy he once had.
A cold, sharp anger began to form in his chest. Tianlong. Ling Xi. Their smug faces, seared into his memory, flashed before his eyes. They had taken everything from him. His power. His life. His future. And now, he was given a second chance. A chance to rewrite his fate. A chance to make them pay so badly, so horribly, it would shake the very heavens.
A low, guttural growl escaped his lips, a sound more animal than human. His fists clenched, his nails digging into his palms. "Tianlong… Ling Xi… you will pay. I swear it, by the ashes of my past self, you will pay!"
"Host detected. Soul integration complete."
The voice echoed in his mind, clear as a mountain spring, yet utterly alien. It wasn't his thoughts. It was distinct, resonant, and somehow… ancient.
Xiao Tian froze, his eyes scanning the empty room. "Who's there?!" he whispered, his voice hoarse."Hello, Host. Welcome to the Heaven-Defying System."
A blue, ghostly panel appeared in front of him, hovering in mid-air. It was transparent, with glowing characters in a language he could read.
Heaven-Defying System
Host: Xiao Tian
Cultivation: Qi Condensation Stage 1 (Weak)
Spirit Roots: Common (Dormant)
Talent: Mediocre (Unawakened Potential)
Xiao Tian gazed at the panel, his mind spinning. A system? Like the myths of old, where chosen ones were given divine aid? But he had never believed such nonsense, not even when he was the Martial Sovereign. He had relied on himself, his own willpower.
"The Heaven-Defying System is a special system to help a chosen Host to break through the limitations of their reality and get unimaginable power. It has been activated because of your soul anomaly and your previous cultivation achievement."
"Previous cultivation achievement?" Xiao Tian sneered, a bitter laugh rising up. "You mean my humiliating death at the hands of two traitors?"
"Yes. Your previous life's experience, though ended in tragedy, has tempered your will and ignited an unparalleled desire for revenge. This is the foundation of the System's operation."
"So, what… what do you do?" Xiao Tian asked, a glimmer of hope, cold and fragile, flickering in him. Could this be it? Could this be the key?
"The Heaven-Defying System provides missions, rewards and various functions to help the Host to reach ultimate power and revenge. Your current cultivation is not enough to even start your journey. So the first mission has been generated."
The blue panel changed, the previous information disappeared, replaced by bold, pulsing characters.
MISSION 1: REVENGE
Description: Publicly shame Elder Wei who robbed you of your cultivation resources. This will be the foundation to restore your dominance and reclaim what was taken from you.
Target: Elder Wei
Reward: Heaven-Defying Cultivation Manual - [Primordial Chaos Scripture]
Xiao Tian's breath caught. Elder Wei. The fat, condescending elder who had, on countless times, diverted his meager cultivation pills and spirit stones to his own undeserving nephew, Wei Fang. The same Elder Wei who had kicked him out of the inner sect, condemning him to the lowest rank of disciple life. The rage that had momentarily subsided flared up again, hotter and stronger than before.
Publicly shame him. The thought brought a cold smile to Xiao Tian's lips. Oh, he wouldn't just shame him. He would dismantle him. Piece by piece.
"Primordial Chaos Scripture," he murmured, the name resonating with power that vibrated deep in his soul. Even as the Martial Sovereign, he had only heard whispers of such legendary cultivation manuals, artifacts of cosmic power said to defy the very laws of heaven and earth. If this system could give him such a treasure, then…He looked at the mission panel, his reflection in the mirror now not a weak, humiliated disciple but a predator, his eyes burning with hellfire. The path ahead was treacherous, full of danger but he had walked through hell and back. He had tasted the bitter ash of defeat. Now he would taste revenge. And it would be sweeter than any nectar.
When? he thought, his mind already racing, planning. How?
As if reading his mind, the System's voice spoke again, louder, more urgent.
"Mission start: Immediately. Failure to comply will result in severe penalties, including but not limited to, permanent cultivation regression or soul fragmentation."
Xiao Tian's eyes went wide. Permanent cultivation regression? Soul fragmentation? This wasn't some benevolent guidance system. This was a contract. A contract with oblivion.
But the alternative… the alternative was going back to the pitiful, powerless existence that had led to his downfall. No. He'd rather face a thousand fragmented souls than that again.
He read the mission details again. "Publicly humiliate Elder Wei." Vague, open to interpretation. But he knew Elder Wei's habits, his weaknesses. He knew the exact moment to strike.
A mischievous glint appeared in his eyes. Elder Wei loved his morning tea ceremony in the outer sect courtyard. It was a show of his supposed benevolence, a chance to parade his authority. It was also where most of the outer disciples gathered before their morning chores, a perfect audience.
He knew what he had to do. He had to be cunning, subtle, and ruthless. No direct confrontation. Not yet. He was too weak for that. But humiliation… that was a different game altogether.
He stood up, determination hardening his gaze. The dull ache in his dantian was still there, but now it felt like a challenge. He would rise. He would reclaim. He would avenge.
He looked at the moonlit window. The sky outside was black as coal, studded with stars. They twinkled with an almost mocking brightness, reminding him of the universe he once commanded and the tiny speck he was now.
But not for long.
A cold dread crept in with his anticipation. The system was powerful, yes, but its threats were real. And the mission itself… "Publicly humiliate Elder Wei." It sounded simple enough, but Elder Wei was a core elder, backed by powerful connections. If Xiao Tian failed or if his actions were too obvious, the consequences would be dire. He was, after all, still just an outer disciple.He reached for the door, his hand hovering over the latch. The night was silent, except for the distant chirping of crickets. He took a deep breath, the taste of ash and vengeance still on his tongue, now mixed with fear.
He opened the door and stepped out into the cool night air. The path ahead was dark, leading deeper into the sprawling, ancient complex of the Azure Sky Sect. Somewhere, in one of the grand pavilions, Elder Wei was sleeping peacefully, unaware of the storm brewing on his doorstep.
Xiao Tian couldn't afford to waste a second. The clock was ticking. The System was demanding action. And the consequences of inaction were dire.
He took a step, then another, his footsteps quiet in the quiet. His cultivation was weak, his body was fragile, but his mind, his will was sharper than any sword. He was no longer the foolish Martial Sovereign. He was Xiao Tian, the returned avenger, and the world was about to feel his wrath.
What form would this humiliation take? How would he, an outer disciple, bring down an elder who had so much power? And what other secrets did the Heaven-Defying System hold? As he walked deeper into the sleeping sect, the answers to these questions remained shrouded in the pre-dawn mist, and dawn was going to be unlike any other. The true nightmare for Elder Wei, and maybe for many others, was just beginning. The taste of revenge was so close, and Xiao Tian was hungry.