Heaven-Defying Bloodline

The night wind howled across the rooftops, carrying with it the thick, suffocating scent of blood. Inside the narrow darkness of the hidden cellar, Lin Ye curled up like a wounded beast, trembling from head to toe. Above him… Screams. Clashing blades. Cruel laughter. And then— The heavy thud of his father’s body hitting the ground. “No… no…” Lin Ye bit his lip until it bled, his eyes burning red. Through the thin wooden slit, he saw the silver-black robe of the man leading the m******e— Han Ming, Elder of the Profound Heaven Sect. “The Lin Clan defied the sect’s decree. Execute them all.” His voice was colder than winter steel, merciless as a god of death. A sword fell. Blood splattered across the courtyard. Lin Ye’s fists turned pale from how tightly he clenched them. His breaths shook uncontrollably, yet his gaze grew terrifyingly cold. He knew—if he made even the slightest sound, he would die with his family. “Lin Ye!” It was his mother’s voice… faint… broken… and then gone. Han Ming… I swear… I will make you pay. The vow burned in his heart, even as tears streamed down his face. By dawn, the slaughter had ended. Footsteps retreated. The courtyard fell silent. The cellar door creaked open. Lin Ye dragged himself out, legs trembling. The world before him was soaked in crimson. Corpses everywhere. Houses reduced to blackened pillars. Ash drifting on the cold morning wind. “Father… Mother…” He fell to his knees beside his father’s stiff, cooling body. But he didn’t get long to mourn— footsteps approached. “There! A survivor!” It was the village chief. His face twisted with greed instead of pity. Behind him were two unfamiliar cultivators. “That’s him! Lin Ye!” the chief shouted eagerly. “Hand him to the Profound Heaven Sect, and we’ll all be rewarded!” Lin Ye froze. He… sold me? “Village… chief…?” His voice cracked in disbelief. “What’s a brat like you worth alive? Come here!” The chief lunged forward, grabbing for Lin Ye’s collar. In that instant, one thought exploded in Lin Ye’s mind: If I don’t escape, I die. He sank his teeth into the man’s hand and broke free, bolting toward the forest. “Get him!” Branches whipped across his face as he ran. The three men closed in fast. He reached a cliff—below it, nothing but endless darkness. No way forward. No way back. Lin Ye spun around, voice raw with desperation and rage. “I… will NOT die by your hands!” And he jumped. The wind roared past his ears, icy and sharp. His body plummeted into a void that felt like the maw of a demon. Just before consciousness slipped away, he heard a voice— low… ancient… dripping with malice. “Do you wish… to live?” Lin Ye couldn’t answer. Darkness swallowed him whole as he crashed into a thin layer of spiritual mist and fell into oblivion.