Chapter 1 – "The Son the Heavens Feared"
"The sky births the dragon,
yet the dragon may one day swallow the sky.
And so the sky casts it down…
praying the earth will break it."
In the Palace of Heaven, where clouds formed the floor and stars hung like lanterns, the elders of the Celestial Court gathered in a circle. At the center knelt a boy — no more than ten years old in appearance, yet his eyes were ancient, as if they had witnessed the birth of suns.
This was Wudi Tian, the Heaven Son.
The one who should have ruled the Four Realms without lifting a finger.
The one born with Chaos in his veins — a power beyond laws, beyond fate.
But Heaven feared him.
> Elder of Fate: "He needs no cultivation. He has no bottleneck. He sees truth without looking. If he grows, Heaven itself will kneel."
Elder of Punishment: "Then he will not grow. Cast him to the dust of the Mortal Realm. Let him vanish among insects."
They chained him with golden light, opened the Gate of Falling Stars, and hurled him into the endless void.
---
When Wudi opened his eyes again, he lay on a barren cliff under a crimson sunset. Wind howled across the jagged rocks, carrying the scent of pine and rain.
He sat up slowly, brushing dust from his black robe.
"The wind whispers… yet carries no truth.
The earth holds me… yet wishes me gone.
So be it. I shall walk where the sky forbids."
He looked at his own hands. Within them, he felt the Chaos, an endless ocean of power, swirling patiently, as if waiting for his command.
But he would not waste it now.
> Wudi Tian (softly): "Even a dragon must coil before it strikes."
---
The Mortal Realm was… filthy. No divine light, no immortal qi — just the stale breath of mortals and the stench of greed. Villages clung to rivers like leeches, and mountains rose like broken teeth.
As he walked down a narrow forest path, the sound of battle reached his ears.
"Blood speaks louder than words.
And the language of blades… is older than the heavens."
He arrived at a clearing. Five men in black were surrounding a young woman in white, her hair loose, sword trembling in her hand.
One of the men laughed, lunging forward —
— and found his arm gone in a blur of motion.
The others froze.
A boy stood there, one hand still raised from the strike. No weapon. No killing intent. Just inevitability in his gaze.
> Wudi Tian: "You've lived long enough. Leave your corpses here and go."
They snarled and attacked as one. Wudi sighed.
"Ants do not know they are ants…
until the boot reminds them."
A flicker — three bodies hit the ground. The last two dropped their weapons and fled into the forest.
The girl stared at him, wide-eyed.
> Girl: "You… who are you?"
Wudi Tian: smiling faintly "A passerby."
> Girl: "Why save me?"
Wudi Tian: "Because the rain will fall tonight… and I dislike seeing beauty vanish before it."
She blushed, lowering her sword.
> Girl: "I am Yue Lian… disciple of the Moon Shadow Sect. May I know your name?"
Wudi Tian: "Wudi. It means 'Invincible.' But you may call me… whatever you wish."
---
As the rain began to fall, they found shelter beneath an ancient cedar. The girl lit a small fire, and Wudi sat across from her, watching the flames.
> Yue Lian: "You move like a master. Are you from the Earth Realm?"
Wudi Tian: "No. I am from above."
Yue Lian: "The Upper Realm?"
Wudi Tian: looking into the fire "Higher."
She laughed, thinking it a joke, but then met his eyes… and felt as if she were standing before a boundless ocean, drowning without pain.
"Some truths are too heavy for the tongue.
They can only be carried by the soul."
---
That night, as she slept, Wudi stood outside in the rain, looking at the sky. Somewhere beyond those clouds lay the Heavens that had cast him down.
> Wudi Tian (whispering):
"You think banishment will break me?
I will climb each realm,
take every crown,
love every woman worth loving,
and when I stand before your gates again…
I will not knock."
The rain washed over him, but the Chaos within remained still, patient.
For now.