Chapter 1: The Last of an Ancient Bloodline

Darkness. Cold. Silence.

Jiang Chen had no idea how long he had been asleep.

He felt as if he had been trapped in an endless dream—drifting through the void, with no sense of time, no past or future. Only fragments of voices echoed in his soul, whispers from people he could no longer remember.

"If our Jiang Clan is to perish, let our bloodline not fade into oblivion."

"Seal the children. Even if it takes ten thousand years, one will awaken."

"May the heavens show mercy… may at least one survive…"

Then—

A sudden crack.

A shuddering force erupted through his body, like ice shattering after an eternity of winter. Heat surged through his frozen veins, and for the first time in thousands of years, Jiang Chen's heart beat once more.

His eyes snapped open.

A rush of sensations overwhelmed him—the damp air, the scent of ancient dust, the weight of his own body after so long. He was lying on a stone altar, deep within a ruined underground chamber.

Weak light filtered through cracks in the ceiling, revealing faded murals on the walls. Though time had nearly erased them, he could make out the images of majestic figures clad in flowing robes, wielding celestial weapons, standing against monstrous entities that tore the heavens apart.

And beneath them—his own surname, Jiang, engraved in gold.

Jiang Chen's fingers clenched. "So… it wasn't just a dream."

His clan had truly been destroyed. Not recently, not a hundred years ago—but thousands of years ago. The world he once belonged to no longer existed.

And yet, somehow, he had survived the sealing ritual meant to preserve their bloodline.

He looked down at himself. His robes, though made of exquisite fabric, were in tatters from age. His body felt weak, as though it had been drained by time itself. But beneath that weakness, deep within his bones, there was something else—a dormant power, an ember that had yet to fully awaken.

Then—

A noise.

Jiang Chen's instincts flared as he heard footsteps echoing from the entrance of the ruined chamber. He turned sharply, eyes narrowing.

Three figures entered, their torches illuminating the ancient space. From their attire, they were bandits or rogue cultivators, likely scavengers looking for lost relics.

"Oi, look at this place! Looks like we stumbled onto some old tomb." One of them laughed, kicking over a broken statue.

Another bandit's eyes gleamed. "Heh, old tombs mean treasure! Maybe there's some ancient inheritance here."

The leader, a man with a scarred face, suddenly froze. His eyes locked onto Jiang Chen.

"Wait… there's someone here!"

The others turned in shock. "What? How the hell—"

Jiang Chen took a slow breath. He had no cultivation yet, no weapons, and his body was still recovering from thousands of years of stasis. Against three armed cultivators, he was at a clear disadvantage.

But he was not helpless.

Scarface smirked. "Heh. Doesn't matter. Looks like some weakling who wandered in by mistake. Kill him and search the place."

The first bandit lunged forward with a dagger, aiming for Jiang Chen's throat.

In that moment, something stirred within him.

A strange sensation—as if time itself slowed for a fraction of a second.

Jiang Chen's body moved instinctively. He tilted his head just enough to dodge the strike and, in the same motion, slammed his elbow into the attacker's ribs.

Crack!

The bandit crumpled to the ground, coughing blood.

The other two were momentarily stunned.

"What the—?!"

Jiang Chen didn't hesitate. Though his body was weak, his reflexes were razor-sharp. Before the second bandit could react, he stepped forward, snatching the man's wrist and twisting it brutally—forcing him to drop his weapon. A quick strike to the throat sent him tumbling back.

Only Scarface remained. His expression was no longer amused. "You little bastard…"

Jiang Chen exhaled, steadying himself. He had no idea how he was able to react so quickly. It felt as if his body had moved on its own, guided by some instinct buried deep in his blood.

"Could this be… the remnants of my ancestors' training?"

Scarface's eyes flickered with hesitation, then rage. "Tch. You're not worth the trouble." He threw down a black smoke bomb, vanishing into the darkness.

Jiang Chen didn't chase.

Instead, he stared at his own hands, his mind racing.

Something was awakening inside him.

Something ancient.

Something no one in this world—or any world—had ever seen before.

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End of Chapter 1