(Part 1)
A dry wind howled, carrying the scent of sulfur and ash from the vast valley below Ye Tian's feet. Before him stretched a black chasm containing a river of fire that swirled like a dragon through the earth's fissure. This place was known as the Hell Valley, a forbidden region on the border of the Eastern Empire.
Burning footprints were left on the scorched earth with each step Ye Tian took. The aura of darkness emanating from his body seemed to clash with the intense heat rising from the chasm's depths. The sky above was dark—not because of night, but because of the thick black smoke billowing incessantly.
"In this place…" he whispered softly, "...heavenly fire and ancestral blood once battled until the heavens split."
Flashes of memory raced through his mind—visions of ancient battles, the roars of dragons, and a rain of blood. Somehow, he knew that the blood in his veins was tied to this place. Something powerful called to him from the valley's depths, as if an ancient seal longed to be reopened.
His steps were unwavering, even though the stones around him cracked under the oppressive spiritual pressure. The aura within him—the curse of celestial blood—resonated with the valley's energy, causing a throbbing pain in his chest.
Suddenly, the ground before him trembled. From behind the hanging red mist, a tall figure emerged, its body made of fire and its eyes pitch black. Its voice was deep and resonant, like exploding embers:
"Heir of the celestial blood… You should not be here."
Ye Tian stared at it without flinching. His voice was calm, yet echoed like thunder in the silent space, "I did not come to ask for permission… I came to claim what is rightfully mine."
The creature roared. Smoke enveloped its surroundings, and flames licked the ground. But Ye Tian did not retreat. The curse aura within him erupted, shattering the intense heat, and causing the air to vibrate.
The battle was inevitable.
(Part 2): Inheritance Locked within Blood
The guardian creature stepped forward. Each stomp of its foot scorched the earth, creating trails of burning embers that hissed under the unbearable heat. Yet Ye Tian stood firm, his hair and robe billowing wildly in the storm of aura erupting from the creature.
"I am the fiery tongue of a bygone era," the creature roared. "Guardian of the inheritance buried in blood and sin."
Ye Tian raised his right hand. Dark, ominous light emerged from his palm, forming a small vortex that rotated the celestial blood emblem—three glowing red intersecting lines that began to blaze on his chest. "Then… perish along with the era that has been destroyed," he said coldly.
In an instant, Ye Tian shot out like a black lightning bolt. He delivered a straight punch that cleaved the air, striking directly at the guardian creature's chest. An explosive sound shook the valley, creating a pressure wave that swept dust and ash in all directions.
The creature groaned. But instead of collapsing, it spread fiery wings from its back. The wings soared high, spewing a torrent of heat that formed fiery swords, rising into the sky and falling like meteor showers towards Ye Tian.
Ye Tian moved swiftly. His body disappeared and reappeared in an instant, dancing amidst the fiery rain. Each movement was accompanied by the thunder of aura, each step leaving a trail of flickering dark shadows.
Suddenly, from within the earth, a voice whispered:
"Your blood calls to the inheritance… But, the inheritance carries a curse…"
Ye Tian stopped his movements. His eyes narrowed. "This voice… it's not from that guardian."
From the bottom of the valley, an ancient symbol began to glow. Three giant spiritual formations appeared in the form of nested circles, and in the center was a blood-red stone chest—bound by black iron chains and an ancient seal that pulsed like a heart.
The fire guardian looked at the chest, then back at Ye Tian.
"You are worthy… but only your blood can unlock that seal."
Ye Tian clenched his fists, blood dripping from his cracked palms from the previous impact. He stepped forward, approaching the chest, then placed his palm on its cold surface.
As his blood touched the stone, the seal cracked. A red light shot into the sky. The earth trembled.
"The Inheritance of Celestial Blood… has been found."
(Part 3): The Celestial Blood Seal Shatters
Blood-red light exploded from within the ancient stone chest, illuminating the entire valley until the sky seemed to be on fire. The sound of clashing metal and broken chains echoed, like the screams of ancestors shackled for thousands of years.
Ye Tian stood still, but the aura from his body began to change. The celestial blood symbol on his chest shone brightly, causing his entire body to emit flashes of dark red light. The blood dripping from his palms seemed to no longer flow to the ground, but was absorbed by the chest, which now began to open little by little.
Kreeeaaakkk…
The heavy stone lid moved slowly, releasing thick black vapor that soared into the sky. From the opening gap, a beam of deep purple crystalline light appeared, pulsating like a heart awakening from a long sleep.
An ancient whispered voice echoed from within:
"If your blood is pure… then the curse will become the key… and the key will unlock the path to destruction."
Suddenly, the ground around Ye Tian cracked violently. The spiritual symbols that had initially glowed beautifully transformed into wildly burning purple rings of fire. The valley began to tremble, and giant rocks were lifted into the air uncontrollably.
The previously severely injured fire guardian now knelt, its body shrinking and transforming into a pure fire spirit. It spoke in a faint but respectful voice, "The Inheritance… has chosen its new master."
Ye Tian did not answer. His eyes now stared directly into the stone chest, towards the mysterious object now floating in a circle of light: a fragment of a core shaped like a sliver of red silver, with black veins creeping across its surface. It was not just an inheritance—it was a remnant of the body of the Celestial Blood God, the first ancestor cursed by Heaven itself.
As the fragment floated before Ye Tian's chest, his body seemed to be sucked into a dimensional vortex. At that moment, the sounds of the world disappeared. Time froze.
Ye Tian awoke in a dark void. Before him stood a gigantic winged silhouette, with blazing red eyes, and a broken horn.
"Are you… ready to bear the burden of power that even Heaven itself wants to destroy?"
Ye Tian replied without hesitation, his voice deep and resounding:
"If Heaven fears it… then I am the one who will defy Heaven."
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