The first rays of dawn filtered through the shredded skies, casting golden light upon the mountaintop that had just withstood a battle between mortal will and divine authority. Mist clung to the broken terrain, thick with residual energy, and the chirping of birds—tentative at first—marked the return of natural order.
Lin Tianming stood at the edge of a shattered cliff, robes fluttering. The girls behind him were asleep in the temporary shelter he had created with a wave of his hand. He had watched over them all night, not because he needed to—his wounds had already closed—but because their presence kept him grounded.
The air smelled of lightning and lotus blossoms, an odd combination birthed from his clash with the heavens.
"System," he muttered, his voice barely a whisper. "Status."
System Notification:
> Host: Lin Tianming Realm: Heaven-Denier (Level 1) – Early Heavenly Ascendant New Abilities Unlocked: – Worldstep: Allows traversal between pocket realms and minor spatial zones. – Void Memory: Retains knowledge of combat trials for future replication. – Origin Qi Integration: Begins assimilation of Multiversal Essence.
> Warning: Presence detected. Unknown observer located. Divine tier signature.
He narrowed his eyes.
"Location?"
> Three hundred li west. Concealed within rippling void.
Tianming turned. In that direction lay the ruins of the Ancient Vine Sect—long destroyed during a cultivation war hundreds of years ago.
His lips curled slightly.
"Trying to watch me from a dead zone?" he muttered. "Let's pay them a visit."
He stepped forward—and vanished.
---
The ruins of the Ancient Vine Sect were little more than vine-strangled towers and sunken courtyards. Its once-proud spiritual formation was long eroded, yet faint traces of divine herb scent still lingered, like ghosts of forgotten glory.
In the heart of the ruins, a ripple of space widened. Tianming stepped through.
He sensed the disturbance instantly.
A shadowy figure cloaked in violet mist knelt in a meditation circle drawn with silver ash.
"Come out," Tianming said flatly.
The figure froze.
"I mean no harm," the voice was androgynous, old yet weightless. "I merely came to observe the wielder of the Heaven-Denier title."
Tianming walked forward, each step deliberate.
"Then observe from the next world."
He lifted his hand.
The void twisted. His palm glowed with Chaos Qi.
The cloaked figure raised a single talisman. Light flared. A barrier formed.
BOOM!
Tianming's strike collided with the shield, shattering it instantly. The figure was flung backward into a fallen pillar, coughing blood.
Yet he did not scream.
"You truly are monstrous," the figure said, laughing bitterly. The mist around him dispersed, revealing a withered face, one eye blind, the other glowing azure.
"Who are you?" Tianming asked.
"I once bore the title of Sky Walker. Eighth Heaven Ascendant of the Blue Orchid Lineage. You may call me Elder Yun."
Tianming said nothing.
Elder Yun coughed again. "I didn't come to fight. I came… to offer you a key."
He pulled out a jade scroll.
"This contains coordinates to a hidden world—the Trial Sphere of Eternal Echoes. A legacy realm created by one of the last divine cultivators of your path. You're not the first Heaven-Denier."
Tianming frowned.
The man continued, "But you may be the last.
Before the suppression of the Multiversal War, such beings were hunted. Heaven fears them. The trial sphere has been sealed for thousands of years, waiting for someone like you."
Tianming stepped forward, snatched the scroll, and stored it in his spatial ring.
"I'll decide if it's worth visiting."
"I've fulfilled my role," the man said. "I only ask one favor—if you ascend past the Divine Veil, remember the Blue Orchid Lineage. We once stood tall among stars."
Tianming gave him a cold look. "Your sect let the heavens leash it. I break chains, not mourn them."
He turned and left.
Behind him, Elder Yun let out a long sigh.
---
Back on the mountain, the three women had awakened.
Yuelan stretched, noting the fatigue in her limbs. "Tianming's aura… it's not here."
Zhao Yueyin touched the ground. "But his presence lingers. He was watching over us."
Qingmei, still sleepy, rubbed her eyes. "Is he always this reckless?"
A moment later, space tore open—and Tianming stepped out.
"Took care of an intruder," he said casually, walking past them. "Get ready. We're traveling again."
"Where to?" Yueyin asked.
He tossed her the jade scroll.
"To a legacy realm. One that may hold secrets even the System can't predict."
They exchanged glances.
---
Three days later, they arrived at the Trial Sphere of Eternal Echoes.
Floating above a dead sea, it was a translucent orb the size of a mountain, rotating slowly in the sky. Lightning constantly kissed its surface, and from within echoed ghostly chants.
It was beautiful—and ominous.
Tianming flew toward it without hesitation.
The girls followed, forming a defensive formation.
As they neared, the sphere pulsed.
A voice echoed.
> Trial Sphere Initiating. Requirement: Only the Heaven-Denier may enter.
Tianming turned. "Wait for me outside. If I'm not back in three days, leave."
Yuelan opened her mouth to protest, but stopped.
He stepped inside.
And the world shifted.
He stood in an endless plain. All color had been drained. Sky, ground, even his own form—grayscale.
A figure stood before him.
It looked like him.
But older. Harder. Covered in blood.
"I am Tianming," it said. "The version of you who failed."
Then it attacked.
---
Outside, the girls waited.
Yuelan paced.
Zhao Yueyin meditated.
Qingmei stared into the sphere.
"Come back soon," she whispered. "We're not done yet."
---
[End of Chapter 29: Echoes from the Divine Realm]