The Kingdom of Lorraine sat on the eastern edge of the wasteland, a place where civilizations met and clashed. Yunhuang City was its greatest settlement, named for the towering Yunhuang Mountains that cast their shadows over the land.
In the remote courtyard of the Zhuo family estate, a young man sat in his simple study. Qingxu slowly closed the ancient book in his hands. His eyes were tired from days of reading, but they also burned with new understanding.
"Finally," he whispered to the empty room. "Now I know why no one could read the ancient texts on Dongyang Sword Sect's stone wall. They weren't from Earth's civilization at all."
The words had come from another world entirely. A place called the Ancient God Wasteland. A realm at the end of heaven itself.
The book before him told an incredible story. It was written by a man named Dong Qian—a warrior who had reached heights of power that Earth's martial artists could barely dream of.
"My name is Dong Qian," the text began. "I built my foundation at age ten, awakened my sword spirit at twenty, and refined my sword at thirty. I felt that mortal life was too short, like a mayfly dancing on water. My martial path reached toward the sky itself."
Qingxu read on, his mind racing. Dong Qian had abandoned the sword after a hundred years of training. He had wandered famous mountains and rivers, seeking something greater than martial arts. For twenty-four years he searched, until finally he received an inheritance from the Heavenly Emperor himself.
The story grew more fantastic with each line. Dong Qian had condensed sword essence for sixty years, developed sword potential for a hundred years, and achieved a realm beyond mortal understanding for a thousand years. He had broken through the vacuum of space itself and wandered between the heavens.
But then came disaster. He had entered the cave of a true god called "Jun" and stolen a divine jade called Fortune. The same jade that had hung around Jiang Ningzhi's neck. The same jade that had shattered and brought Qingxu to this strange world.
"But I touched the forbidden seals of the temple," Dong Qian had written. *"Heaven and earth reversed. I fell into this strange realm and became trapped. I worked for a hundred years to set up a divine array, trying to return to the God Wasteland through its power. But divine power was beyond me. My lifespan ran short. After all my efforts, death was coming. I could only pass on my knowledge to future generations. Alas..."
Three days of research had finally given Qingxu the answers he needed. When the divine jade shattered, its energy had activated the transmission array that Dong Qian had built centuries ago.
The array had pulled Qingxu's soul from Earth and placed it in the body of another young man—Zhuo Qingxu of the Zhuo family.
The workings of fate were strange and wonderful. Even after four days in this new body, it still amazed him.
"Ningzhi..." he whispered her name like a prayer.
No matter where he was—Earth or this Heaven's End realm—he would find a way back to her. But the distance between worlds seemed impossible to cross.
"I will return," he said aloud. His voice was quiet, but it carried the weight of mountains. "Dong Qian traveled from this world to Earth. So can I. I just need to find the true god Jun's cave and use its divine array to return home."
This promise would be kept, no matter what it cost.
Creak.
The door swung open without warning.
A pretty girl in a flowing white dress stepped into the room. Behind her came a maid carrying a bowl of medicinal soup. The liquid was dark and smelled bitter.
Qingxu recognized the girl immediately. Her name was Zhuo Yunqing—the younger sister of the body he now inhabited.
She was a martial arts genius who had reached the fourth stage of Marrow Cleansing at a young age. Among the Zhuo family's younger generation, few could match her talent.
Four days had been enough time for Qingxu to learn the basic facts about his new life.
"Drink your medicine," Yunqing said. Her tone was cold and commanding, like she was giving orders to a servant rather than speaking to her brother.
Qingxu ignored her hostility. He took the bowl without complaint and began drinking. Using the body refining methods from Dongyang Sword Sect, he circulated his qi and blood to help absorb the medicine's healing properties.
"I saw Lan Yutong on my way here," Yunqing said. Her voice was sharp with anger. "She's become a disciple of Hunyuan Heaven Sect."
The name hit Qingxu like a slap. Lan Yutong. The woman who had caused all this trouble for the original Zhuo Qingxu.
From the memories he had inherited, Qingxu knew the whole sad story. Lan Yutong had been adopted by the Zhuo family when she was ten years old. She grew up beautiful as carved jade, graceful as flowing water. The original Qingxu had fallen completely under her spell.
To win her favor, he had given her his own cultivation resources. He had neglected his training and spent all his time trying to please her.
Thirty days ago, she had made him an offer he couldn't refuse. If he would steal the Zhuo family's token—the one that could get someone accepted as a disciple of Hunyuan Heaven Sect—she would run away with him and they would live happily together.
Like a fool, he had done exactly what she asked.
The moment she had the token in her hands, Lan Yutong disappeared. For thirty days there was no news. When the theft was discovered, Qingxu's father flew into a rage. He ordered his son beaten with a hundred lashes and thrown out of the family home.
Qingxu had taken shelter in this remote courtyard in the north of the city. But even there, he wasn't safe. Six days ago, other young members of the Zhuo family had attacked him.
They were angry that his foolishness had cost them their chance to join Hunyuan Heaven Sect. They beat him unconscious and left him for dead.
That was when the soul from Earth had taken over this broken body.
Understanding the situation completely, Qingxu felt only cold indifference toward the girl who had caused such pain.
"What's wrong with you?" Yunqing demanded. "Why aren't you crying and begging forgiveness like usual? Why do you look so calm? Mother asked me to bring you the best medicine. Your injuries should heal soon, even if you can't walk properly yet."
She studied his face with suspicious eyes.
The original Qingxu might have been the patriarch's direct son, but his poor cultivation had earned him criticism from the family elders. He had never been considered worthy to carry the sect token.
Because of his weakness, any member of the Zhuo family could compete for the chance to join Hunyuan Heaven Sect.
But now that he had stolen and lost the token, that opportunity was gone for everyone.
Qingxu remained silent. He had only fragments of the original's memories. It was better to say nothing than risk making a mistake.
"Have you finally changed your personality?" Yunqing's voice was mocking. "Or do you finally understand what you've done? It's too late for regrets! Do you know how precious it is to become a disciple of Hunyuan Heaven Sect?"
She began pacing back and forth like a caged tiger.
"Our Zhuo family can only maintain our position in Yunhuang City because of our connections to that sect. We control mineral resources that other powerful families want to steal. If it wasn't for our sister-in-law practicing in Hunyuan Heaven Sect, we would have been swallowed up long ago. But because she's there, the other families don't dare move against us."
Seeing that Qingxu still said nothing, her anger cooled slightly. But her expression remained hard and unforgiving.
Then a voice came from the courtyard outside.
"Where is Qingxu?"
The voice was soft and musical, like wind chimes in a gentle breeze.
Qingxu didn't react, but Yunqing went rigid with fury. Her face turned red as she shouted toward the door.
"Lan Yutong! How dare you come here!"
"Sister Yunqing," the voice replied sweetly. "You're here too."
Two young women entered the room. The first wore a sky-blue dress that seemed to flow like water around her perfect figure.
Her skin was whiter than snow, her eyes clear as mountain pools. Her long black hair cascaded over her shoulders and down to her waist, highlighting her graceful curves.
The moment she stepped into the room, both Yunqing and her maid seemed to fade into the background. She was like a fairy who had stepped out of a painting, so beautiful that mortals could barely look at her without feeling ashamed.
No wonder the original Qingxu had been completely enchanted.
"Don't call me Sister Yunqing!" Yunqing spat. "The Zhuo family can't afford to have relatives like you!"
The girl who had followed Lan Yutong immediately stepped forward, her face twisted with anger.
"How dare you! You're just a nobody from a remote town! Senior Sister Yutong blesses you by speaking to you at all! How can you be so rude!"
But Lan Yutong raised her hand gracefully, stopping her companion's outburst.
"Don't be harsh with her," she said in a gentle voice. "The Zhuo family was kind to me. When I was young, I was lucky enough to be taken in and raised by Master Zhuo. I owe them everything I have today. If Sister Yunqing wants to say a few words against me, that's nothing."
"You know our family was kind to you!" Yunqing's voice cracked with emotion. "You know we helped you and cared for you! Is this how you repay us? You seduced my brother Qingxu and convinced him to steal the token for Hunyuan Heaven Sect disciples! You ruined his future!"
"Future?" Lan Yutong looked at Yunqing with something that might have been pity. She shook her head slowly.
"Hunyuan Heaven Sect is far beyond what you can imagine. It's one of the ten holy places of the Eastern Wasteland. Everyone who can join is a true genius. The so-called three young masters of Yunhuang City are inferior to even the outer disciples there."
Her voice grew more serious. "In Hunyuan Heaven Sect, the competition between inner and outer disciples is extremely fierce. Death and injury are common. Believe me, if Qingxu had really entered with his level of cultivation talent, it would only have harmed him."
She turned to look directly at Qingxu. Her eyes were soft and sincere, like those of a caring older sister.
"Really, Qingxu. Believe me. I did this for your own good..."