While watching The Legend of Qin, Aedric had always had a huge unanswered question in his mind.
The Yin–Yang Clan was famed for astrology and divination. Their leader, Donghuang Taiyi, always acted as if he could see through the heavens themselves, treating all affairs of the world like toys in his palm.
If he was truly such a terrifyingly capable figure…
how could he not know that the Qin Dynasty's lifespan was only a dozen years?
To gamble the Yin–Yang Clan's 500-year foundation on a dynasty doomed to die within a decade—
in what universe did that sound like a good investment?
If it were Aedric , he would never pick Qin.
And if he had to choose, he would pick Liu Bang.
After all, the Han Dynasty lasted over 400 years.
For such an uncharacteristic move to happen, Aedric saw only two explanations:
Either Donghuang Taiyi was all show and no substance, and couldn't actually divine Qin's fate…
Or Qin possessed something he desperately needed—something worth gambling the entire Yin–Yang Clan for.
And in Aedric 's eyes, that irreplaceable thing could only be one thing:
The Ancestral Dragon Fate carried by the First Emperor, Ying Zheng.
As the founder of the title "Huangdi" (Emperor), Ying Zheng was unique among all rulers of history.
Without him, there would be no Emperor.
He was the first of all "Huangdi," the progenitor of the imperial system itself.
That kind of fate was beyond special—utterly irreplaceable.
If Donghuang Taiyi needed that ancestral dragon qi for something, then sacrificing 500 years of the clan's future suddenly made sense.
Hmm?
Five hundred years again.
What a coincidence.
Aedric suddenly felt a chill in his heart.
That undying man's shadow…
was becoming clearer and clearer.
Xuanyuan Yellow Emperor.
Dragon God Art.
Five hundred years of the Yin–Yang Clan.
The Ancestral Dragon Fate.
Donghuang Taiyi's masked, shrouded form.
And the East Lord Yan Fei, whose noble bloodline was said to protect her even after betraying the clan…
Every clue lined up into one horrifying conclusion—
one Aedric absolutely did not want to believe.
But the pieces pointed to it relentlessly:
This world… really might have an undying being.
He might not be named Yin Zhong, nor come from Shuiyue Cave Heaven—but something like him likely existed.
Otherwise…
how could a man who could foresee Qin's downfall willingly back a doomed dynasty?
Did Donghuang Taiyi seriously think he was stronger than Tongtian Jiaozhu and could reverse fate by himself?
If so…
Aedric could only say the guy was completely insane.
Suppressing his uneasiness, Aedric focused entirely on cultivating the newly obtained Heaven-Crippled Divine Art.
If any ability could counter the world's hidden monsters, it was this peerless technique—equal in rank only to the Dragon God Art.
According to Gao Yue, the incarnation of the Goddess's Tear, Chiyou was originally a righteous warrior. The Nine Heavens Goddess had bestowed the divine sword—crafted from a meteor from beyond the sky—upon him so he could purge the world of evil.
And Chiyou succeeded.
But those who gaze into the abyss…
the abyss gazes back.
After years of constant battle with demons and malevolent spirits, Chiyou's heart darkened. His temper worsened. He became unable to tolerate dissent.
Eventually, he resolved to use the divine sword and the War God Mecha to rule the world—crushing all resistance.
If one put it that way…
It was a bit like Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones.
A kind girl who once risked her life to free slaves…
only to be driven mad by the filth and cruelty of the world, ultimately choosing to burn a city to ash.
Pushing a good person into madness…
only takes one terrible day.
So it was with Daenerys.
So it was with Chiyou.
Their intentions had been good.
But the world was too cruel, and idealists eventually snap.
History then nails them to a pillar of shame.
The Heaven-Crippled Divine Art had been created by Chiyou during his endless struggles against supernatural evils. It absorbed all negative energies in the world—poison, malice, resentment—and transformed them into unstoppable destructive power.
Extremely sinister.
Extremely overwhelming.
Extremely effective.
By relying on this divine art and his sword, Chiyou became immune to the monsters' strange abilities and instead used them as fuel—slaughtering tens of thousands of demons and cleansing the world.
But that same negativity corrupted him in return.
This divine art was at least partially responsible for his eventual fall.
To cultivate it required extreme caution—lose focus for even a moment, and one might be devoured by the very energies they absorbed.
Fortunately, Aedric 's own Postnatal Internal Core Arts had reached perfection. As long as he didn't advance the Heaven-Crippled Art to its ninth and final form—Three Realms Annihilated—he faced no risk of backlash.
So…
It was time to begin.
After leaving Loulan and parting ways with Gai Nie's group, Aedric headed straight toward Pei County—to see what version of Liu Bang existed here.
If it was the Myth version?
Then he would have to eliminate him.
But if it was the Legend of Qin version…
That Liu Bang was a loyal, righteous hero, and Aedric had no conflict with him.
He could just look the other way.
His mission was his mission.
Unlike in the Heaven Sword & Dragon Saber world, he wasn't here to found a dynasty.
Let Liu Bang be the emperor—Aedric couldn't be bothered.
Loulan was far west; Pei County far east—separated by thousands of miles. Aedric didn't ride a horse; he walked while cultivating the Heaven-Crippled Divine Art.
Three months passed.
And Aedric successfully reached the Fifth Form:
"Heaven Crumbles, Earth Shatters."
Along the way, he had worried the Qin court might issue a warrant for him due to the Loulan incident.
But he later learned… Gai Nie's reputation was simply too big.
All attention went to the Sword Saint.
No one even bothered to care about Aedric .
Once he mastered the fifth form, the divine sword's murderous aura could no longer harm him. He could wield Chiyou's Sword freely—far more effectively than Wei Zhuang ever could.
Specialized weapons paired with specialized arts were simply unbeatable.
Still, the divine weapon was far too conspicuous.
To avoid drawing attention, Aedric followed the ancient workaround—develop a leg-based version.
As it turned out, countless movies were right.
The Heaven-Crippled Divine Art could be used with a sword…
or with legs.
Fists? Palms?
Totally wrong—barely one-tenth the power.
The legendary Heaven-Crippled Sword-Leg was finally born.
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