(An old man tells a story to a group of children.)
A long time ago, there were seven great Heavenly Clans who lived in harmony across the realms. These clans were:
Fire Heaven
Water Heaven
Earth Heaven
Wood/Nature Heaven
Light Heaven
Darkness Heaven
The Eternal Heavenly Clan
Among them, the most powerful was the Seventh Clan—the Eternal Heavenly Clan. But one day, the other six clans formed an alliance. Together, they launched a sudden and brutal assault, completely exterminating the Eternal Clan. The reason behind this betrayal remains shrouded in mystery to this day.
[Past – One Hour Before the Fall of the Eternal Clan]
Within the Eternal Clan, joy filled the air. The Clan Lady had just given birth to a baby boy. The Clan Head and elders celebrated, their hearts filled with hope for the future. A young girl, cheeks blushing with excitement, whispered to herself, "I have a little brother now."
Suddenly, a deafening explosion shook the heavens.
The Clan Head turned to his younger brother. "Go. Check what that was."
Within moments, a desperate message echoed through spiritual telepathy—it was an urgent warning:
"The clan is under attack. Escape while you can!"
Ignoring the warning, the Clan Head rushed outside. What he saw turned his blood cold: the leaders of the other six clans stood united, backed by their entire armies.
"Why are you doing this? Why?" he asked, speaking through spiritual telekinesis.
There was no answer—only silent determination.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, the Clan Head ordered his disciples, "Go! Leave the clan. Live your lives freely. Carry our will with you."
Many obeyed. Some stayed behind to fight, vowing to die with honor.
An intense battle began. Both sides suffered heavy casualties. Blood soaked the sacred grounds.
Then—tragedy struck.
One of the enemy elders broke through the defense, slaughtering the young girl who had celebrated her baby brother's birth. He advanced toward the Clan Lady, who still held the newborn in her arms.
Sensing imminent doom, the Clan Head made a heart-wrenching decision.
He sacrificed his flesh, bones, blood, and even his cultivation to tear open a crack in the Void—a spatial rift that defied the laws of nature. With his final strength, he threw the baby into the crack. He and the Clan Lady, their souls nearly destroyed, sealed their remaining essence inside the child's mind.
By the end of that day and night, the Eternal Clan had been completely eradicated.
[Present – Within the Void Realm | A Crying Baby]
The boy awoke, tears in his eyes. Around him stood a vast and silent magical palace. No people. No sound. Only silence.
Realizing that crying was pointless, he began crawling through the palace in search of food or drink. After hours of exploration, he found nothing and returned to the soft basket where he had awoken.
In the basket, he found a mysterious ring—ornate and glowing faintly. Curious, he shook it, rubbed it, even licked it, but nothing happened. The ring was far too large for his tiny fingers—yet, when he tried to wear it, it magically shrank to fit snugly on his middle finger.
There was also a doll in the basket—a female puppet resembling a five-year-old girl.
Uncertain and lonely, he hugged the doll and fell asleep.
Later, he awoke to find the puppet gone. Frantic, he searched the palace—until suddenly, the doll reappeared, walked up to him, hugged him, and began to speak.
He gasped, "Who are you? What's your name?"
The puppet smiled kindly.
"I am your elder sister—Yuè Yù."
Shocked, he asked, "Why are you a puppet…?"
Her smile faded. "You're not ready to know that yet. Wait ten years, and I'll tell you everything."
"But… Sister, I'm hungry."
Yuè Yù laughed gently.
"This palace transfers all required nutrition directly into your body. How do you think you've survived for three years?"
He finally understood the true nature of the magical palace.
From that day on, the boy and his sister lived together in the palace. She taught him everything—about cultivation, living beings, and how to access the power sealed within the mysterious ring.
[Two Years Later – Xiao Shengming (Little Life), Age 5 | Yuè Yù (Soul), Age 10]
At last, the ring responded. It revealed two divine cultivation techniques:
Holy God's Divination
Cursed Calamity Destruction
His sister warned him, "You're not ready for the cursed one. Learn the Holy technique first."
Obediently, he opened the holy book. It contained nine pages, each with a different divine art. His sister explained:
"This technique comes from our mother. The first five pages are simple enough to learn, but the last four are extremely advanced—even reading them is difficult."
As he began reading, a spiritual image of a graceful woman in her late twenties appeared before him. She kissed his forehead gently, then faded away.
[Two Years Later – Age 7]
He had mastered the five Holy Techniques.
"Sister," he asked, "Who was that woman? Can I read the cursed technique now?"
Yuè Yù smiled sadly.
"That was our mother—the Clan Lady. Yes, you may begin reading the Cursed Technique."
Tears welled in his eyes. "What happened to our clan? What happened to my parents? Why are we trapped here?"
Her expression turned solemn.
"I will tell you everything now."
She revealed how their clan had been betrayed and destroyed. She also told him that the holy and cursed techniques were their parents' innate abilities—transformed into books through the destruction of their own bodies.
"You must become stronger, stronger than anyone. Only then can you prevent another tragedy like ours."
With renewed resolve, he opened the cursed book. A spiritual image appeared again—this time, it transmitted the memories of his father.
The first cursed technique: Body Cloning.
To cultivate it, one had to destroy all 12 meridians, creating a clone with its own unique personality. A maximum of 12 clones could be formed. But to create more than one, each clone would also need to destroy its meridians. The process required perfect synchronicity and spiritual connection—an almost impossible feat.
Despite the unbearable pain, the eight-year-old boy began the process. Blood poured from his mouth. He cried, screamed, and eventually lost consciousness.
[Two Years Later – Age 10]
He awoke. Beside him lay a boy who looked exactly like him.
He shook the other awake.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"I… I… am… you… Who… are… you?" the clone replied, confused.
With Yuè Yù's help, Xiao Shengming taught the boy how to speak, write, and live.
After a year of guidance, they named the clone: Xiao Sǐwáng – Little Death.
But Little Death was different. His body housed the cursed aura—the darker half of Xiao Shengming's soul. He carried emotions of resentment, guilt, sorrow, and rage. Though expressionless like a statue, he hid a storm within.
Thus began the story of two halves—Little Life and Little Death.
Born from pain, bonded by fate.
[To be Continued]