VenerableZephyr

Betrayed at the peak of his power, Martial Emperor Ling Tian fell before ascending to godhood. His closest allies, his beloved, and even fate itself turned against him. For 10,000 years, his soul wandered in torment, reliving his death endlessly—until he was reborn in the body of a crippled young master in a lower realm.

Armed with memories of his past life, forbidden techniques, and a will unshaken by fate, Ling Tian embarks on a path of vengeance, power, and love. But as he rises again, he discovers an ancient curse binds him—one that dooms every woman he loves and every world he conquers.

To break free, he must defy destiny itself. Will he rule the heavens, or will fate claim him once more?

Fated to Rule, Destined to Love: The Martial Emperor’s Curse

The flickering glow of Ling Tian's golden-azure aura illuminated the ancient scroll as he read through the cryptic inscriptions. Each word carried a weight that seemed to press against his soul, revealing fragments of a forgotten past.

"The Ling Clan did not perish. They were erased."

His grip tightened, veins bulging on his wrist. Erased? Not destroyed, not annihilated—erased.

Xu Qing'er leaned closer, sensing the turmoil in Ling Tian's emotions. "What does it say?"

Ling Tian's voice was eerily calm, but his eyes burned with an unquenchable fury. "The Ling Clan was too powerful. Too dangerous. So they were removed—not just from existence, but from history itself."

Xu Qing'er's breath hitched. "That's…" She hesitated. "Impossible."

To erase an entire clan's existence from history, not just wiping out their bloodline but ensuring no trace of them remained—it wasn't something that even supreme cultivators could achieve.

Ling Tian's fingers brushed over the final lines of the scroll. "The Vanquished Throne does not suffer rivals. The Ling Clan carried the last key to the Sovereign's Fate. Thus, it was cast into the void—neither dead nor alive, forever lost."

Ling Tian's heart pounded. That name again. It had been whispered in prophecies, buried in forbidden texts, but no one truly understood what it was. Now, it was directly linked to his past.

Xu Qing'er noticed the shift in his expression and placed a hand on his arm. "Ling Tian… do you think your family is still alive?"

Ling Tian exhaled slowly. "I don't know. But if even a sliver of their existence remains, I'll find them."

Just as he finished speaking, the scroll began to burn with ethereal flames, disintegrating into nothingness. Ling Tian watched it vanish, his resolve only hardening.

His past had been stolen from him. He would reclaim it—no matter the cost.

Before Ling Tian could dwell on his next course of action, a suffocating pressure descended upon the land. The sky darkened unnaturally, and the very laws of the world seemed to tremble.

Xu Qing'er's body tensed. "This aura… it's not normal."

A chilling laughter echoed through the void. "Hehehe… so you finally learned the truth, little heir of the Ling Clan."

Ling Tian's gaze snapped toward the origin of the voice. A black mist slithered out from the cracks in reality itself, taking shape into a robed figure with hollow, glowing eyes. The being radiated an aura of fate distortion, as if it did not belong to any timeline or plane of existence.

"Who are you?" Ling Tian's voice was sharp as a blade.

The figure grinned, its features shifting like liquid shadow. "A mere witness to history. A historian of forgotten things. You may call me... The Shade of Oblivion."

Xu Qing'er clenched her fists. "Shade of Oblivion…?"

The being chuckled. "I have watched as entire bloodlines were wiped away. I have seen empires vanish in the blink of an eye. And I was there when the Ling Clan was undone."

Ling Tian's aura flared dangerously. "Tell me everything."

The Shade's grin widened. "Ah, but knowledge comes with a price, young sovereign. Are you willing to pay it?"

Ling Tian didn't hesitate. "Name it."

The Shade's laughter grew colder. "Simple. Show me that you are worthy of knowing the truth. Survive."

A surge of deathly energy erupted from the Shade's body, warping the surrounding space. The world itself twisted into a nightmarish realm where time flowed erratically, and a killing intent unlike anything Ling Tian had ever felt bore down on him.

56. The Ling Clan’s Silent Erasure