In a dream of the Primordial Age…
The human race waged war across the starry sky, the Eight Great Royal Clans guarded the Nine Heavens and Eight Wastes, slaying gods, executing immortals, exterminating demons, and cleaving through the myriad races across endless galaxies.
The final battle of the Primordial Age—
"Kill!"
The Eight Great Royal Clans and hundreds of millions of human cultivators surged against the current of the star river, charging toward the ancestral lands of the demon race.
Divine light, dao seals, celestial patterns, and endless laws ravaged the starry seas, annihilating stars and collapsing the vast void, exposing the depths of darkness.
Corpses, severed limbs, and shattered weapons piled into mountains.
Strange demon blood surged like vast rivers.
The starry dome bathed in blood, the heavens mourned.
The demon race was nearly annihilated, its ancestral land overturned within mere days.
High above the stars, amid chaos, the Eight Human Kings executed the Grand Heavens Art, collectively besieging the Cangming Demon Emperor, severing his lifeforce and obliterating his reincarnation cycle.
The demon emperor, forced into retreat and powerless to turn the tide, flew into a rage and ultimately offered his own imperial body in sacrifice, unleashing a cataclysmic curse.
Fire.
Pitch-black flames.
On his colossal body—larger than a star—coiled like a divine dragon, a quiet, eerie fire ignited.
That immense form became fuel for the curse, burning into threads of profound blackness—cold and sinister.
Those black threads twined and wove into a dark totem.
A cruel, twisted grin flickered upon the totem's surface—bearing the visage of the Cangming Demon Emperor—filled with malice and dread.
His imperial form reduced to ashes, the totem cloaked the void, descending upon the Eight Human Kings, burrowing into their bodies as a web of restrictions.
"Eight Royal Clans! Accept my curse! Your descendants shall forever live in fear—"
"—Until your extinction!"
"Hahahaha—!"
Jiang Xuan awoke abruptly, his eyes flashing with confusion and alarm.
Subconsciously touching the black totem on his brow, a flood of information poured into his mind, sending chills through his heart.
Jiang Xuan gave a bitter laugh."The curse of the Cangming Demon Emperor…"
Already, the hair at his temples—once jet black—had begun to pale.
According to the ancestral bloodline resonance, during that final battle of the Primordial Age, the Cangming Demon Emperor sacrificed his body to curse the Eight Royal Clans. Anyone carrying their bloodline would suffer from its erosion—greatly reduced lifespan.
The higher the bloodline purity, the greater the reduction.
Below 80% purity: lifespan cut by 20%.At 85%: 40% reduction.At 90%: 60% reduction.And for him—his purity had already reached 95%.
That meant he'd live no more than 300 years.
Unless… he ascended to True God Realm, using its divine laws to barely resist the curse, potentially extending his lifespan to 500 years.
But none of this had been recorded in the ancestral books.
Bloodlines above 90% only existed in the earliest ancestors. No one else had lived long enough to realize the effects of the curse. Any shortened lifespan was mistaken as latent injuries or cultivation bottlenecks.
Jiang Xuan shook his head, inwardly cursing,"This is rigged! I've got a golden finger and I'm still getting screwed over?!"
"True God Realm…"
He exhaled deeply, his gaze darkening.
Even with his divine system and myriad inheritances, not to mention his mastery of three Grand Daos, time was now his greatest enemy.
"300 years…"
Even for the most monstrous talents, that barely reached the Sky Origin Realm.
"I have to move faster. I need more cultivation resources—now."
His eyes sharpened.
"The title of Young Clan Lord—I must seize it.""Only with it can I access the clan's full resources and rise faster.""And the True God Relic… if I can obtain it, my chances of breaking through will skyrocket."
With a flicker of divine light, Jiang Xuan soared into the sky.
Soon, he arrived at the ancestral hall of his branch.
Hundreds of gazes turned to him.
The elder, many clan elders, and all the young talents participating in the trial were already waiting.
They knew—this time, only Jiang Xuan had the qualifications to contend for the title of Young Clan Lord.
The newly born "Natural Supreme" child might surpass even him in time, but for now, he was far too young to compete.
The elder looked at Jiang Xuan and sighed inwardly.
Jiang Xuan's aura was denser than before, but still within the Divine Awakening Realm, not yet stepped into the Spirit Fusion Realm—a clear disadvantage.
He spoke kindly,"Child, this battle may not be yours to win. If the odds are stacked against you, you may yield…"
Others echoed the sentiment.
But Jiang Xuan's eyes were cold, his voice calm and unwavering:
"I will be the Young Clan Lord."
He stepped into the teleportation array.
The crowd stared, astonished—where was this confidence coming from?
The elder frowned.He knew Jiang Xuan well—something had changed."Did something go wrong in his cultivation…?"
Still, the time for questions had passed.He turned to the other youths."You are to assist Jiang Xuan at all costs. Even your lives may be necessary."
The young talents responded in unison:"We understand!"
And so, they followed.
Within the depths of the Jiang Family's Sacred Mountain, in a dimensional fragment preserved since the second ancestor's era, lay the Jiang Family's Ancestral Ground.
The resting place of countless ancient powerhouses—the final fortress should calamity befall the clan.
With a divine hum, the void shimmered.
Divine light streaked down like shooting stars, falling upon a vast river.
One by one, the heirs arrived.
Jiang Qiankun stood tall upon the river, Yin and Yang swirling, his aura like a divine tide.
Jiang Bei stepped lightly onto his flying sword, the sky shattering with three thousand sword lights.
Jiang Minghao descended with celestial grace, exuding calm confidence.
And then—
Jiang Xuan arrived.
His expression cold, he ignored the wary glances of the others.
His flesh seemed to breathe, his dao foundation shimmered, and his gaze burned like stars.
Suddenly—
The great river churned, surging heavenward.
Roars—! Roars—!
From the river rose a vast, desolate land.
And from it, came a tide of vicious beasts, howling toward the trial's beginning…