Chapter 1: The Seal Breaks — Heir of the Tao Returns
573 Words
Location: Luohun Temple, Deep in Mount Longhu, Southern China
Rain fell like silver threads, draping the forest in mist. Deep in the overgrown mountain trail, a forgotten Taoist temple stood in eerie silence. The moss-covered stone steps, cracked statues, and tangled vines gave it the look of a long-dead beast in slumber.
Lin Yechen stood at the temple gates, soaked to the bone, but his eyes glinted with defiance.
“They say this place seals some ‘Heavenly Master’s spirit’? Sounds like another tourist scam.”
He sneered and pushed open the weather-worn wooden doors.
The old hinges groaned, as if waking ancient ghosts from centuries of sleep.
Lin Yechen was a mixed-blood orphan raised overseas. This was supposed to be just another fieldwork trip for his university’s cultural research program in China. But a chance encounter with a dusty, half-burnt book in a library—The Forbidden Records of Maoshan—led him here.
“Luohun Temple. Seals the divine consciousness of the First War God of Taoism — the Azure Emperor.”
Ridiculous… yet strangely compelling.
The air inside was damp and thick with decay. The incense burner was toppled, wooden beams half-collapsed. But at the center of the main hall stood an ancient stone pedestal, wrapped in red spirit-binding ropes, faintly glowing with mysterious light.
“This… doesn’t look fake at all.”
Uneasy, he took a step back—but it was too late.
The moment he approached, the ground trembled. The ceiling cracked with a thunderous roar. Dust and yellowed talismans filled the air.
A blinding golden light shot from the pedestal straight into his forehead.
BOOM—
Darkness swallowed his mind.
⸻
“Who are you… that dares trespass into the Soul-Sealing Domain?”
A deep, ancient voice echoed inside his consciousness. Lin Yechen felt like he was falling through stars and chaos. Images flooded his mind:
Talisman flames, thunder spells, golden swords, ghost-slaying rituals—
He saw himself in full Taoist robes, barefoot and fierce, walking through armies of demons. Thunder cracked the heavens. The world bowed at his feet.
He—was the Azure Emperor. The last Taoist War God.
“I’m not you! I’m Lin Yechen! Who the hell are you?”
“You bear the last trace of my bloodline. Since you’ve stepped into Luohun Temple, fate has chosen you.”
The voice cracked like thunder, and a divine light poured into him. Pain seared through every bone as glowing symbols carved themselves into his body.
Lin Yechen collapsed, gasping—but his eyes now gleamed with clarity.
“The legacy of the Azure Emperor… has returned to me.”
⸻
When he came to, a faint blue-white rune hovered in his palm. He focused on it, and energy flowed—lightning crackled softly in his hand.
“I… I can really use this stuff?”
Suddenly—rustling outside.
He ducked into a side chamber, peering through a cracked window.
Five men entered, dressed in dark suits with earpieces. The blond one held a black crucifix. He spoke in fluent English:
“Confirmed anomaly. Eastern sigils detected. This is a live Taoist site.”
Lin Yechen’s heart skipped.
CIA Paranormal Division? They’re here too?!
He realized—this was no random encounter.
He had inherited an ancient power…
And stepped into a global storm far greater than he imagined.
And he—was destined to stand at the eye of that storm.
- Writer
