Betrayed by All, Feared by Heaven

The night Jun Wuchen was betrayed, the heavens were silent. Dark clouds covered the mountains, and thunder roared across the Azure Cloud Sect. In the middle of the courtyard, a young man knelt on the cold stone floor, his hands bound behind his back and blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. Jun Wuchen was seventeen years old. Once, he had been the pride of the Jun family, a genius whose cultivation talent had attracted the attention of powerful sects. Elders had called him a future sword immortal, and his father had believed he would one day lead their family to greatness. Now, the same people who had praised him were demanding his death. "Jun Wuchen, do you have anything to say before your punishment is carried out?" asked First Elder Jun Cangming. Wuchen slowly lifted his head. Standing beside the elder was Jun Tianyu, his cousin and former closest companion. Tianyu wore a spotless white robe, and a jade pendant hung from his waist. In his hand rested a spiritual sword that Wuchen recognized immediately. It had once belonged to him. Three months earlier, Wuchen had entered the dangerous Black Mist Mountains to retrieve a rare spiritual herb for the family patriarch. During that journey, he had discovered an ancient cultivation technique inside a ruined cave. When he returned, Tianyu accused him of stealing a sacred technique from the clan. The evidence was fabricated, the witnesses were bribed, and the elders refused to investigate the truth. Wuchen had been condemned before he could defend himself. "You planned everything," Wuchen said, staring at Tianyu. "The mission, the accusation, even the witnesses. You used me from the beginning." Tianyu laughed. "So what if I did?" He stepped forward and crouched before Wuchen. "Do you know what it feels like to live in your shadow? Everyone praised your talent. Father compared me to you. Even the servants believed you would become the next patriarch." His smile turned cruel. "I was tired of being second. Everything you possessed should have belonged to me." Wuchen stared at him in disbelief. "You destroyed your own cousin because you were jealous?" "I took what I deserved." Tianyu stood and turned toward the elders. "Jun Wuchen stole our sacred technique and betrayed his family. According to our ancestral laws, he deserves death!" Several elders nodded in agreement. Others lowered their heads, unwilling to meet Wuchen's eyes. He searched the crowd for someone who might defend him. He found his uncle, who had once promised to protect him. He saw the elders who had taught him swordsmanship. Finally, his gaze landed on Jun Lanyue, a woman he had always treated like an elder sister. She stood behind Tianyu. When their eyes met, she lowered her head. Wuchen felt something break inside him. "You too?" he whispered. Lanyue remained silent. That silence was more painful than any wound. For years, Wuchen had believed that loyalty mattered, kindness would be remembered, and truth would eventually triumph. Tonight, those beliefs died. The First Elder raised his hand. "The clan has decided! Jun Wuchen shall be stripped of his position and cultivation resources. He shall then be thrown into the Heavenfall Abyss!" A murmur spread through the courtyard. The Heavenfall Abyss was a forbidden chasm beyond the northern mountains. It was said that no one who fell into its depths had ever returned. Some believed ancient demons lived below, while others claimed the abyss led to a world abandoned by heaven. Wuchen slowly rose to his feet. "Before you throw me away, answer one question." The First Elder frowned. "Speak." "Did my father know about this?" His father, Jun Beixuan, had disappeared two years earlier while investigating a mysterious incident. The family had declared him dead, although no body had ever been found. Wuchen had never believed their explanation. The elder's expression hardened. "Your father's affairs are none of your concern." "Then he might still be alive?" "I said nothing of the sort!" Tianyu suddenly struck Wuchen across the face. "Enough! You have no right to question the elders!" Wuchen stumbled, blood spilling from his mouth. Tianyu leaned closer. "Enjoy your final moments. By tomorrow, everyone will have forgotten you." Wuchen looked directly into his eyes. "Remember this moment, Jun Tianyu. You may take my sword, steal my name, and throw me into the abyss." His eyes became cold. "But if I survive, I will return." Tianyu burst into laughter. "Survive? No one returns from the Heavenfall Abyss!" Wuchen said nothing more. He memorized every face in the courtyard, every person who had betrayed him, and every person who had watched without helping. He would remember them all. Midnight arrived as Wuchen was dragged to the edge of the Heavenfall Abyss. The wind screamed upward from the darkness. Strange sounds echoed from the depths, resembling the cries of ancient beasts. The First Elder stood beside Tianyu and several clan leaders. "This is your final opportunity," the elder announced. "Confess where you hid the sacred technique, and we may consider a less severe punishment." Wuchen almost laughed. Even now, they wanted something from him. "I never stole your technique." "Then you choose death." "No," Wuchen replied. "You chose it for me." Tianyu's face twisted with anger. "Throw him in!" The guards shoved Wuchen forward. For one brief moment, he stood at the edge of the abyss, looking up at the stars. He had prayed to heaven many times. He had prayed for his father's return, for his family's prosperity, and for the safety of those he loved. He had believed the heavens listened. Now he wondered whether heaven had ever cared. Wuchen closed his eyes. "Since the world has abandoned me, I will no longer beg it for mercy." The guards pushed him. His feet left the ground, and he fell into darkness. The wind roared in his ears as Wuchen plunged deeper into the abyss. His body struck a protruding rock, sending unbearable pain through his chest. He crashed against another ledge, and the impact shattered several bones. Blood filled his mouth. He tried to gather his spiritual energy, but nothing answered. His meridians were damaged, and the cultivation he had spent years developing was rapidly slipping away. Above him, the opening of the abyss grew smaller. So this is how I die. For a moment, he felt nothing but exhaustion. Then Tianyu's smiling face appeared in his mind. Wuchen clenched his teeth. No! He refused to die without discovering the truth. He refused to let his enemies decide how his story would end. Just as his consciousness began to fade, a golden light appeared beneath him. Ancient symbols illuminated the walls of the abyss, forming a gigantic formation carved into the stone. Before Wuchen could react, the air suddenly twisted. An invisible force pulled him sideways. He crashed onto a narrow stone platform hidden within the abyss. His body rolled across the ground before stopping beside a cracked pillar. For several moments, he could not move. He knew that his injuries would kill him if he remained there. Then he noticed ancient writing engraved on the pillar. As blood from his hand touched the stone, the symbols began to glow. A deep vibration shook the chamber. The pillar cracked open, revealing a vast underground hall. At its center stood a black stone coffin covered in chains. Above it floated a broken sword, its dark blade filled with tiny moving stars. Wuchen stared in disbelief. He had never seen a weapon like it. Suddenly, a voice echoed inside his mind. "After ten thousand years... someone has finally arrived." Wuchen struggled to lift his head. "Who are you?" The chains around the coffin trembled. A terrifying pressure descended upon the chamber, forcing Wuchen's knees against the stone floor. Then a translucent figure emerged from the coffin. He wore ancient robes, and his long black hair floated around him like smoke. His eyes shone with the brilliance of distant stars. "Human child, why have you come here?" Wuchen coughed blood. "Because the people I trusted wanted me dead." Silence followed. Then the mysterious figure asked, "Do you seek revenge?" "Yes." "Do you seek power?" "Yes." "Would you sacrifice everything to obtain it?" Wuchen paused before answering. "I want power so nobody can decide my fate. I want revenge, but I will not become a monster simply because monsters hurt me. And I will discover what happened to my father, no matter who stands in my way." The figure studied him. For the first time, a trace of interest appeared in his ancient eyes. "Interesting. Your cultivation is shattered, your body is broken, and death is standing before you. Yet your will remains unyielding." He raised one hand. "I was once known as the Celestial Sovereign. The heavens trembled at my name, immortal sects burned beneath my sword, and ancient kings bowed before me." His expression darkened. "Then those who called themselves my allies betrayed me." Wuchen's heart stirred. The same word that had destroyed his life connected them. The Celestial Sovereign continued, "I left behind an inheritance for someone worthy of receiving it. I never expected that person to arrive with nothing but broken bones and hatred in his heart." He extended his hand. "However, hatred alone cannot carry you to the peak of cultivation." Golden symbols erupted across the chamber. A stream of ancient knowledge entered Wuchen's mind, filling it with sword techniques, medicinal knowledge, weapon-forging secrets, and profound cultivation principles. At the center of the inheritance appeared an ancient scripture. THE ETERNAL HEAVEN-SLAYING SCRIPTURE. Its opening words burned into his consciousness: When heaven closes every road, forge a path through heaven itself. Wuchen felt an unfamiliar force stir deep within his shattered meridians. The scripture would not make him powerful overnight. It demanded discipline, suffering, and countless hours of cultivation. But it offered him something he had believed was lost forever. A chance. "Why are you giving this to me?" Wuchen asked weakly. The Celestial Sovereign looked toward the darkness above. "Because those who betrayed you feared what you might become. And because your destiny is connected to a secret far greater than your family's conflict." He paused. "If you survive, you may one day reach a realm that even I failed to attain." Wuchen struggled to remain conscious. "What secret?" Before the Celestial Sovereign could answer, the entire chamber shook. Far above the abyss, a star suddenly disappeared from the night sky. In a distant celestial palace, a sealed bell rang for the first time in ten thousand years. And in a forbidden realm beyond the reach of ordinary cultivators, a pair of enormous golden eyes opened. The Celestial Sovereign turned toward the ancient coffin. "They have sensed you." He looked back at Wuchen. "Rest now, young man. Your journey begins in darkness, but darkness does not determine where your path ends." Wuchen's consciousness faded. Beside him, the broken sword descended and touched the stone floor. A drop of his blood landed on its hilt. The ancient weapon trembled. Deep within its dark metal, a heartbeat sounded. For the first time in ten thousand years, the sword had found a new master. And somewhere beyond the mortal world, heaven itself began to fear. End of Chapter One.