Yan Ming placed his hands on the cold hard ground and pushed his ragged body up, his body searing with pain, his veins pulsing rapidly.
"Where am I? Where is this place? My body aches." He muttered while checking his surroundings. Everything in sight as far as he could see were trees, endless trees stretching across the horizon. 'This scenery, the air here, it's all too familiar but why am I in the Mortal realm? Am I still alive or this is just an illusion?' he thought, leaning against a tree. "Yin Chen is still alive, and he had the guts to plot against me after what happened back then." He said while raising his head, looking at the clear skies above. "It really is the mortal realm, the thin Qi in the air, it all reminds me of back then." Yin Chen was one of the first generation primordials just like Yan Ming without an official title but he had a flourishing empire of his own during the early ages with all races flocking around for shelter, the Divine realm and Infernal realm stayed out of his way till he plotted against Yan Ming. Yan Ming Retaliated with such intensity his empire and every last bit of it was wiped off the face of the map. Yin Chen naturally suffered the brunt of it, Yan Ming burnt him down to ashes along with his empire, his survival came as a huge surprise to Yan Ming. 'How did I survive and why do I feel so weak? Even when I was stripped of all my cultivation I didn't feel this weak.' he thought when a transparent blue screen suddenly appeared in his view. {Initiating survival protocol} {Hell's Mandate System Activated} {Main Questline Initiated} {Main Questline: Reclaim ownership of hell} {Time Limit: 5 years} {Penalty: Permanent loss of the title "King Of Hell, Ruler of the abyss} "Reclaim ownership of hell? I was going to do it anyways, the fact I'm alive means I'm taking back what's mine." He said, a cold glint in his eyes. He stared down at the screen before him with a confused look on his face. "Hell's Mandate System? Tian Luo is that you?" {Master} A shrill voice came from the screen, it sounded worn out and withered but Yan Ming recognized it's voice as the mandate that had stayed with him for thousands of years ruling the Infernal Realm side by side with him. "What happened to you Tian Luo? Where's your body and how am I still alive?" {Your body crumbled out of existence but I managed to save a part of your soul by sacrificing my physical body in exchange} "My body crumbled? That's impossible, even if I lose all my cultivation and powers making my physical body crumble in a single attack should be impossible." He said with a hint of speculation in his eyes. "Unless.." {Yin Chen attacked you with one of the ten primordial weapons Helios, you couldn't survive the strike and I barely withstood a hit} "How did he get his hands on a primordial weapon? And Helios of all things." The ten primordial weapons were created from chaos and hell's mandate was one of them serving as the pillar of the infernal realm, a totem of authority and power that could wield the power of the infernal realm if fully unleashed, in a full scale war the totem would make the wielder invincible by gathering the powers of all the infernal realm armies onto a single point. Yan Ming's cultivation was sealed and there were no reinforcements with him but he still managed to force back the three generals with just his physical body and title authority, it could be seen how frightening the mandate, ranked as one of the top three primordial weapons was. Helios, unlike the mandate based on formations and summons was more focused on a single target damage output, forged from the heart of divine yang it was a natural counter to Yan Ming and the abyss races, a full powered strike with Helios from a primordial sovereign vaporized his body in an instant. "You discarded your physical body to save me, I'll remember this, forget five years, I can't wait that long to see their faces, one year is enough, just one." He muttered, his head raised staring high into the sky. "Tian Luo where are we?" {Nexus prime, a planet in the mortal realm} {Please let down your resistance master I'll upload everything regarding the planet, the system and your new body to your mind} "Alright, do as you wish." He replied without a second of thought and slumped back on the tree with eyes closed. A rush of current flew towards his brain rendering him unconscious for a few seconds before his eyes flapped open. 'This will be a little troublesome. Tian Luo, show me the system interface.' {Hell's Mandate System} {Name: Yan Ming} {Age: 19} {Race: Human} {Bloodline: None} {Level: 6 (3rd layer of the Bone tempering Realm)} {Exp: 437/600} {HP: 34/130 (Bleeding: -5hp per minute)} {Qi: 60/60} {Strength: 35} {Agility: 21} {Endurance: 21} {Authorities} {1. Primordial Sovereign Of Flames: Fire resistance +100%, Fire affinity +100%} {2. King Of Hell, Ruler of The Abyss: All citizens of the infernal realm are under your control and must bow to you.} {3. Wielder Of Hell's Mandate: You wield one of the ten primordial weapons forged from chaos and command the authority of hell, the powers of the infernal realm are bestowed upon you} Yan Ming's face darkened as he glanced over the interface several times. "Human? What happened to my primordial demon bloodline?" {Your new body is human, your previous body was already erased from existence and it's bloodline is gone, I have a way for you to recover your bloodline but that will be for later you have to deal with the current issue first} The shrill voice of Tian Luo came to his ears making him take in a deep breath trying to calm himself down. "Alright, what do I do?" {You're currently in the third layer of body tempering Realm and we're stuck in a forest, you're bleeding with every passing second and risk dying out if this goes on, I already exhausted all my powers to maintain this state and keep you alive away from sight there's nothing I can do, I'm sorry master}Latest Chapter
The Warden's Response
They made camp at the valley's edge as evening settled over the still lake, Yan Ming settlinginto meditation near the water's shore in hopes that whatever mechanism had first drawn theWarden's attention to this location might respond similarly to their return. Qing Chun keptwatch nearby, golden-white light occasionally flickering at her fingertips as she continued herown quiet practice while they waited.Hours passed without any sign of the Warden's return, the valley's silver-shimmering treesrustling softly in a gentle evening breeze, the lake's still surface reflecting the graduallyemerging stars with perfect, undisturbed clarity. Yan Ming was beginning to wonder if theattempt had been misguided when a familiar, layered voice finally broke the silence."You've returned sooner than I expected."Yan Ming's eyes opened immediately, finding the Warden seated on the same flat stone he'doccupied during their first encounter, grey robes settling around him as though he'd simplyalw
The Captives
The captured Concord agents proved considerably more forthcoming than the Tian clan's earlierinterrogation of the fleeing traitor's associates, whether from the visible devastation of theirfailed assault or simple exhaustion after weeks of demanding service to a cause several of themprivately admitted they'd never fully understood. Elder Rushan conducted the questioningpersonally, flanked by two of her most trusted elders, while Yan Ming observed from ashadowed corner of the interrogation chamber, old instinct sharpening at every fragment ofuseful information."Tell me about the array," Elder Rushan said to the most senior of the captured agents, aweathered man whose Ember Core cultivation marked him as considerably more experiencedthan his younger companions. "What have you heard about its purpose?"The agent hesitated, old loyalty warring visibly against the practical calculation of a man whounderstood his current position offered little room for continued defiance. "Only f
The Mountain Halls
Rest, as it turned out, proved shorter-lived than Elder Rushan's hospitality had promised. YanMing woke well before dawn to the unmistakable sensation of alarm formations activatingsomewhere deep within the mountain stronghold, old instinct pulling him upright beforeconscious thought had fully caught up to the danger."Something's wrong," he said, already reaching for Qing Chun's shoulder to wake her from theadjoining sleeping mat.She stirred immediately, years of travel together having sharpened her own reflexesconsiderably since their first weeks on the road. "What is it?""Alarm formations. I don't know the cause yet, but it's close." He was already moving towardthe chamber's entrance, crimson-gold flame kindling reflexively at his fingertips. "Stay close."They emerged into the stronghold's corridors to find them filled with hurrying clan members,some armed and moving toward the mountain's lower levels, others clearly civilians beingdirected toward secured inner chambers
The Ember Vale Request
Word arrived three days later, carried by a travel-worn messenger bearing the Ember ValeClan's insignia, requesting Yan Ming and Qing Chun's presence at their territory directly ratherthan continuing to coordinate purely through correspondence. Tian Shen read the letter twicebefore passing it across his study's desk, expression thoughtful."They're asking for more than information sharing," he said. "Their message suggests they'veencountered something specific — an artifact or technique recovered from a skirmish withConcord scouts, something they believe requires expertise beyond what their own elderscurrently possess.""And they think I'm the one who might understand it." Yan Ming scanned the letter's careful,formal phrasing, old wariness mixing with cautious curiosity. "Did they say what kind ofartifact?""Only that it bears markings unlike anything in their clan's historical records, and that it wasrecovered from a Concord agent killed during a border skirmish two weeks ag
Deeper Into the Seal
True to his word, Yan Ming began the following morning with a return to the deliberate,dangerous work of unsealing more of his restrained cultivation, retreating to a heavily wardedchamber deep within the Tian clan's palace that Tian Shen had personally arranged for exactlythis purpose — thick stone walls layered with containment formations, designed to absorb anyerrant surge of power that might otherwise threaten the surrounding structure."You're certain about pushing further?" Tian Shen asked, watching from the chamber'sthreshold as Yan Ming settled into a meditative stance at its center, the Restriction Key'spendant clutched carefully against his chest. "The scouts' report gave us months, not days.There's no need to rush this recklessly.""There's every need," Yan Ming replied, eyes already closed, breathing settling into the slow,measured rhythm of deep meditation. "Feng Lie Zun knows we're organizing against him now,thanks to the traitor's information. Whatever timeline
Terms of the Alliance
Morning arrived with the Tian clan's palace grounds still bearing faint scars of the previousday's assault — scorched stone along the archive wing's outer wall, freshly reinforced wardshumming visibly along every entrance, guards posted in numbers that hadn't been necessarybefore the traitor's betrayal had come to light. The assembled delegates reconvened in the greathall with considerably less ease than they'd carried into the summit's opening session, warinessnow coloring every exchange, every glance toward unfamiliar faces among their own retinues."Before we finalize anything," the Azure Tide Sect's representative said, arms crossed as shesurveyed the room, "I want assurances that yesterday's breach won't be repeated. If Concordagents can infiltrate the Tian clan's own staff, what's stopping them from doing the same to anyof our territories once this alliance becomes public knowledge?""Nothing, entirely," Tian Shen admitted, meeting her gaze without flinching from theunc
You may also like

Stone in the Sea of Heaven
FANDI381 views
Blind Paragon: Soul Devourer in a Game-Like World
SkylarX1.3K views
Undying Blood: The Path of the Ancient God
Save me3.8K views
THE ETERNAL SOVEREIGN
Emilia291 views
Dark Ruler’s Blade
Hieronimus934 views
Stormpine Chronicles
Victor raja872 views
The Green-Eyed Blademaster
Secret Road951 views
Qi Architect Soul: The Rise of the Elgara Legacy
Elga.ra895 views