Ancient Gods - V1C1
Prologue: Farewell, Fourth Elder
1: A remaining mark
2: The Star Emperor Legacy
3: Lingxu's Hostage
4: A Bunch of Hypocrites
5: Su Fei
6: The Duel
7: Dao of Divine Pills
8: Beauty Pill
9: Mastering Alchemy
10: Xu Xin and Su Fei Are Denied
11: No Meat, No Soup, No Cooking
12: The Extraordinary Tianxuan Realm
13: A Salted Fish Turns over
14: Those Elders Have No Shame
15: The Yangchun Pill
Chapter 1
A Remaining Mark
Sitting cross-legged in front of the tomb, he tried to focus. Suddenly, a small amount of true energy began to condense within his meridians. However, as always, it dissipated shortly after forming. He sighed in resignation; he had grown accustomed to this routine over the last decade.
Lately, whenever he gathered true energy, he felt a slight pain in his middle Dantian Qi[i], as though his body were being torn apart, which frightened him. Standing on the edge of despair, his heart raced with fear; the notion of his Dantian breaking loomed above him like a shadow. He knew that if it shattered, it would abruptly end his beloved path of cultivation, cutting off his access to the spiritual energies that nurtured his growth.
Without warning, his entire body shook violently. It was as if the very core of his cultivation were fracturing, accompanied by a distinct cracking sound that echoed in his ears with finality. In that moment, his expression shifted from determination to dread. Could it be that the heavens had truly abandoned him, intent on extinguishing his dreams of ascension?
Just when despair seemed to overwhelm him, something miraculous occurred. His Dantian, a sacred reservoir of spiritual Qi energy located in the center of the chest at the level of the heart, began to pulsate with life.
In an unexpected turn, a profound connection ignited within him, rekindling hope against all odds. Mo Yang stood frozen in disbelief.
In that crucial moment, a powerful surge of True Qi[ii] erupted from his Dantian, swirling around him like a tempest. The energy raced through his meridians with exhilarating force, filling him with a vibrant energy he had never felt before. It was as if the universe had granted him a second chance, enveloping him in a mantle of strength and potential he had never experienced.
Mo Yang was utterly astonished, his mind racing to grasp this incredible revelation. Could it be that the True Qi he thought he had lost over the years hadn’t actually vanished? Instead, had it been absorbed by his Dantian, the energy center within him?
At that moment, as his Dantian linked with this newfound energy, he felt an explosive force surge forth, as if something deep within him had shattered the confines that had held it back for so long. The sensation was overwhelming, an intoxicating mixture of power and chaos. In just a few brief breaths, he sensed his meridians—those delicate channels that governed the flow of qi—straining against this unprecedented force. Pain lanced through him with every heartbeat, each pulse like a thunderclap of agony tearing through his body.
This was unlike anything he had ever experienced; it was as if the very fabric of his being was unravelling. Caught completely off guard, he struggled to regain his bearings, but before he could even process the unfolding turmoil, the world around him shifted dramatically.
When he finally opened his eyes once more, Mo Yang found himself in a vast grey expanse, stripped of any features or definition. The air was heavy with an unusual stillness, as if time itself had come to a standstill. His heart pounded vigorously, a chaotic rhythm mirroring the confusion and fear swirling within him. He was fully aware, yet everything felt surreal and dreamlike, defying the logic he had always adhered to.
What kind of place is this? Panic clawed at him as he anxiously scanned his environment, hoping for any sign of familiarity or a way out...
The desolate scene before Mo Yang resembled a broken ruin, with crumbled stones and debris scattered like remnants of a once-great civilization. The air reeked of decay, suggesting the aftermath of a catastrophic conflict. Among the scattered remnants, incomplete bodies lay half-buried, their twisted and lifeless forms serving as a grim reminder of the violence that had occurred here.
As Mo Yang examined the devastation, his heart raced, and disbelief washed over him when he saw a lone figure standing in the distance, cloaked in mystery. The man was imposing, his broad shoulders and towering stature casting a formidable shadow against the backdrop of destruction. He stood with his back to Mo Yang, emanating a presence as solid and unyielding as an ancient mountain, indifferent to the chaos around him.
This was a phenomenon Mo Yang had never encountered in his understanding of cultivators. The figure emanated a staggering aura that pressed down on him, provoking a deep-rooted fear, as if he were gazing into a bottomless chasm of unfathomable strength.
Sensing Mo Yang’s presence, the man gradually turned to face him. Despite being close by, his features seemed blurred and indistinct, reminiscent of a mirage from another dimension. The man's face remained shrouded in mystery, leaving Mo Yang with the sensation of attempting to grasp smoke with his hands.
"Who are you?" Mo Yang stammered, instinctively taking a step back, his voice barely a whisper.
A primal instinct told him that this was an extremely powerful being; he was in the presence of a force whose power and wisdom surpassed human comprehension.
The man met Mo Yang’s gaze with an unsettling silence, his expression unreadable. After a lengthy pause, he spoke in a voice that resonated deeply within Mo Yang: "You have finally come, meaning you have triumphed over your darkest times."
The simplicity of that statement hit Mo Yang like a lightning strike, rendering him momentarily speechless. The stranger appeared to possess an acute understanding of his past struggles, peeling away the layers of Mo Yang's history. A flood of questions surged through his mind. Where am I? What lay beyond this eerie scene? Who is this mysterious figure, and how does he know my story? One thing was clear—this was not an illusion; the encounter felt genuine and unavoidable.
“Who are you?” he asked again, his tone growing more urgent.
A blend of desperation and determination was evident in his words as he sought clarity from a figure shrouded in shadows and mystery. The flickering lantern light illuminated the man’s face, revealing the features of a middle-aged individual marked by both wisdom and burden. Mo Yang's heart raced as he repeated the question, each beat filled with anticipation. Yet, the enigmatic man remained silent, his gaze piercing through him.
Then he spoke once more: “There is gain in loss; though darkness may linger, dawn will inevitably arrive. Await the shattering of the seals within you, layer by layer, and you shall soon wield the power to challenge the heavens. A path to invincibility lies ahead!”
Mo Yang stood still, enveloped in a fog of confusion. The middle-aged man’s cryptic words struck him like thunder, resonating deeply within and igniting a whirlwind of emotions. Was it possible? Did he indeed hold seals hidden within himself? The idea of possessing a power that could defy fate stirred both anxiety and excitement within him.
Could this middle-aged man, whose presence seemed to radiate an otherworldly energy, have been a part of his past—one cloaked in secrecy? If that was the case, perhaps this individual was responsible for his decade-long plunge into darkness. The thought sent a shiver down Mo Yang's spine; how could someone who instilled both fear and intrigue have such control over his life?
As he struggled to piece together the fragments of his memories, he confronted a bleak emptiness, like a blank canvas marred by fleeting shadows. His earliest recollection was of being brought to the Lingxu Sect by the Fourth Elder when he was around five years old. He had no memory of who he was or where he came from, except for his name. For a few months, he showed signs of having Qi, but then, overnight, his cultivation disappeared. Following that moment, a decade of obscurity overshadowed his entire existence.
Taking a moment to catch his breath, Mo Yang remembered the instant his Dantian awakened—a wave of vibrant, powerful True Qi surged within him, accompanied by a mysterious and potent force that left him exhilarated yet confused. What truths lie buried within him, just waiting to be discovered? The questions swirled in his mind, each one clamoring for answers as he stood on the brink of revelation.
Could that mysterious power be the legendary heaven-defying force mentioned by the enigmatic figure? Mo Yang contemplated this with increasing curiosity as he gazed at the middle-aged man before him. Though they stood merely feet apart, it felt as if an unbridgeable chasm lay between them, leaving his heart racing with anticipation and uncertainty.
"What is this heaven-defying power you speak of, Sir?" he asked, his voice unwavering despite the storm of emotions within him.
A knowing smile curled on the lips of the middle-aged man, his eyes gleaming like far-off stars against the night. In that instant, he emanated a powerful presence, an aura brimming with authority and strength. The weight of his words echoed through the quiet, misty atmosphere that enveloped them.
"Cultivation, Dao, Inheritance! [iii]" he proclaimed, his voice like thunder, echoing through the vast emptiness and making the air vibrate.
Those three words lingered in the air, resonating like a prophecy and shaking the surrounding grey void with intensity. Mo Yang felt a tangible shift as the middle-aged man continued, "I am but a residual imprint, waiting patiently for your arrival!"
Before Mo Yang could fully grasp the deep implications of this last statement, the middle-aged man began to shimmer and dissolve into a swirling mist of light. As he disappeared, the grey space around them quivered violently, as if some massive mechanism had been triggered, foreshadowing events yet to unfold.
As Mo Yang regained his composure, a powerful, unseen force surged around him, distancing him from the haunting encounter and thrusting him into an unpredictable future.
The crisp night air whistled as it wrapped around him, bringing with it the earthy scent of damp soil and distant vegetation. Gradually, he opened his eyes to a familiar yet eerily altered landscape. Before him stood a newly constructed earthen mound, looming in the pale light of the moon and casting long shadows that danced like wraiths, making the scene seem even more desolate than he remembered.
Once he regained his senses, adrenaline coursing through him, he quickly began circulating his energy. The True Qi within his meridians[iv] surged in response, flowing through him like a river. To his astonishment, he realized he had surpassed three realms at once: the Qi Realm[v], the Body Refining Realm, and the Core Realm. He had jumped straight into the fourth realm: the Earth Realm. This staggering realization felt almost unreal—years of painstakingly slow advancement had vanished in an instant, and he had leaped across three realms in just moments. I must have gathered True Qi for ten years, and that explains it!
A profound clarity enveloped him as the True Qi surged through him, revitalized by his newfound cultivation method. He felt the power resonating within, confirming that he was close to breaking through the early stage of the Earth Realm.
His thoughts shifted toward the peculiar space from which this transformation had originated, filling him with a sense of urgency. As he concentrated, he was amazed to find a magnificent Pagoda Tower that had emerged within his middle Dantian—something he had previously overlooked.
Observing himself, he recognized that he was in his true form, made of flesh and blood. It felt as though, with just a thought, he had stepped into another dimension, one that was uniquely his. It was like existing in two realms: the external world and the internal one, both equally vivid, but with the internal realm free from the constraints of space and time. With a thought, he could direct his journey within this realm. In the external world, his body governed his mind, while in the internal world, his mind ruled his body. So cool!
With just a flicker of thought, the scene around him shifted dramatically, placing him right before the Pagoda Tower. Up close, he could see its imposing yet incomplete structure. The tower featured eight grand floors, each adorned with intricate carvings that narrated ancient tales of power and wisdom. Yet, the eighth floor bore a noticeable, jagged fissure. The void left by this incomplete floor seemed to thrum with untapped energy, inviting Mo Yang to unravel the mysteries that lay beyond.
The Pagoda Tower sparkled, and ancient engravings began to reveal themselves on its surface. Mo Yang discerned two distinct ancient characters, which appeared to signify the ‘Star Emperor’!
[i] Dantian cultivation is often stylized as a magic system. Characters "level up" by absorbing spiritual energy from the environment to expand their Dantian's capacity, eventually forming a "Golden Core" or achieving godhood.
[ii]True Qi (真气, zhēnqì) in Chinese fantasy (Wuxia/Xianxia) novels refers to refined, pure internal energy cultivated within a martial artist's Dantian, serving as the foundation for super-strength, longevity, and techniques. Unlike raw qi from nature, it is purified life force used for combat and defense.
[iii] In the context of Eastern fantasy (Xianxia/Wuxia), Dao, Inheritance, and Cultivation are three pillars (or three ways) of a character's progression toward immortality or godhood :
- Cultivation: The "grind" or training to get stronger.
- Dao: The "laws of physics/magic" that you must master to ascend.
- Inheritance: The "cheat code" or hidden treasure that provides a path to the Dao.
[iv] Meridian cultivation is the process of strengthening and "opening" the body's internal energy pathways to channel spiritual power, known as Qi.
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