In the primordial era, before humanity appeared.
There was a world that seemed to have no master.
But then, one day, a rift suddenly tore through the Void.
A multitude of figures appeared.
They soared high in the sky, scattering in all directions to seize control of this world.
Only a single phrase was left behind: "In life, I am the Sacred Ancestor. I name this Great Realm 'Xiantian'."
From then on, for thousands of years across space, time, and the future, the Sacred was revered above all. Saints controlled the heavens, reversed time, shattered mountains, moved rivers, and overturned the universe—there was nothing they could not do.
Yet, power demanded a price. Through grueling cultivation and endless conflict, reaching the Saint Realm was by no means an easy feat.
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Ten thousand years later, that world was known as the Xiantian Great Realm.
This continent was called the Xiantian Continent.
The human race flourished everywhere.
Legends of the Saint Realm still echoed far and wide, driving countless admirers into a frenzy of cultivation.
Those born into this world possessed an innate talent for cultivation; to a greater or lesser degree, everyone was capable of it.
Yet, in a place called Wudajia City, a boy who had been taken in turned out to be a useless trash, cast aside and abandoned by all.
That boy's name was Shen Wu.
Having fled from the Wudajia Clan due to his inability to cultivate and the constant humiliation he endured, his life felt as though it had lost all meaning.
Shen Wu refused to resign himself to fate. He wanted to prove himself, he wanted revenge, and above all, he wanted to know the truth about his parents.
He had sworn that until the day he could cultivate, he would never return.
Swish... swish... swish...
Darting swiftly through the shadows of countless trees, a figure muttered to himself as he ran:
"That bastard! He knew I couldn't cultivate, yet he still sent people to kill me!"
"I swear I will return to prove that I am better than all of you!"
Indeed, he was Shen Wu. The useless trash who had fled his clan was now running for his life to avoid being killed.
Surrounded by towering trees over fifty zhang tall, Shen Wu was on the verge of collapse after running for nearly two hours. If he couldn't make it, he would lose his life.
"You have quite the stamina, Shen Wu.
But how much longer can you keep this up? Hahaha!"
Behind Shen Wu, three figures clad in black suddenly materialized.
A terrifying voice echoed from them.
They were the assassins sent to hunt down Shen Wu.
They had trailed Shen Wu all the way from the Wudajia Clan.
The only reason they hadn't struck sooner was to avoid detection.
Having run for nearly two hours, they were finally ready to make their move. As for Shen Wu, upon hearing that voice,
He fell into a state of sheer panic:
"Damn it! Where should I go? I don't want to die here!"
Just as the words left his mouth, Shen Wu spotted a dense grove of towering trees in the distance. Deciding to risk it all for a chance at survival, he bolted straight into it.
After running inside for a while, Shen Wu came across a stone gate.
A restriction seemed to exist upon it, yet for some reason, Shen Wu was able to pass right through.
Perhaps because he was a useless trash, the restriction had no effect on him whatsoever.
Shen Wu rushed inside, not caring what might lie within.
Once inside, Shen Wu made himself as quiet as possible.
Outside, the three assassins continued their search, but for some reason, they failed to notice the stone gate.
After waiting until they finally moved on, Shen Wu let out a sigh of relief and began to look around.
He began to examine his surroundings.
However, the inside of the cave was pitch-black; he couldn't see a thing.
He had no choice but to press forward.
Tap... tap... tap...
"Where is this place? Why was I able to enter when I felt such a powerful spiritual pressure radiating from the stone gate? Someone like me shouldn't have been able to get in at all."
Shen Wu wondered in doubt.
Even though he was unable to cultivate, he could still feel an incredibly immense power that seemed to touch his very soul.
But Shen Wu paid it no mind; his only option now was to keep moving forward. In the dark, gloomy, and silent cave, for some inexplicable reason, Shen Wu felt as if something inside was calling out to him—or more accurately, as if something needed him.
"Something is pulling me. Though I don't know what it is, I feel a majestic, overwhelming presence, yet it harbors no malice toward me. It is... needing me!"
Shen Wu continued forward until he saw something glowing.
It was a pool radiating a myriad of mystical lights.
At the center of the pool, something lit up, and then the entire cave began to shake.
Rumble... Rumble... Rumble...
"What is this? The cave is shaking... Could it be about to collapse?! No, that's not it. Something is causing it to shake."
As soon as Shen Wu finished speaking, the cave began to shake even more violently. Then, a massive pillar, ten thousand feet tall, as if blotting out the sky and covering the earth, appeared in the center of the pool, surrounded by a brilliant, radiant light. An overwhelming pressure enveloped the pillar, swirling like dancing dragons and soaring phoenixes, mystical and multicolored. Peals of thunder rumbled as if heaven and earth were suddenly exploding. Suddenly, a flash of light shot out and flew straight into the space between Shen Wu's eyebrows.
Shen Wu's vision went black, and he lost consciousness.