the roots beneath the mountain

The quiet hum of power pulsed beneath Li Tian's skin as he walked deeper into the heart of the mountain. The trials of the Crimson Sky Sect had left cracks in his body, but his spirit was sharp, reforged like tempered steel. He hadn't just survived the ambush in the outer forest—he had dismantled it, humiliated his enemies, and emerged stronger. But he knew well: strength drew attention, and attention was both a weapon and a curse.

The corridors below the sect's library were ancient—far older than anything on the surface. Thick veins of glowing jade crisscrossed the stone walls like living roots, whispering with old energy. His system pulsed gently, aware of the dormant power around them.

[Hidden Archive Discovered. Initiating Scan...]

[Warning: Spatial Lock Detected. This zone is sealed by multiple ancient formations.]

Li Tian narrowed his eyes. This wasn't just a library annex or an old storage cellar—it was something deeper. Forbidden. Forgotten. And someone had gone to great lengths to keep it that way.

He reached a sealed stone door carved with celestial beasts locked in combat. Phoenix and dragon, tiger and turtle, all in endless struggle. Between them shimmered a faint blue light—an array. The formation wasn't aggressive, but inquisitive, like it was examining him.

The system chimed again.

[Soul Signature recognized.]

[Keyholder Identified: Li Tian. Bloodline link detected. Access granted.]

The door shuddered. Dust crumbled. Then, with a slow grinding noise, it parted.

Behind it stretched a chamber bathed in a soft violet glow. Shelves carved from living crystal spiraled around a central pillar, upon which hovered an orb the size of a man's head. It shimmered like a trapped galaxy.

And carved into the walls were names. Thousands of them.

Li Tian stepped inside, the air heavy with time and power. "What… is this place?"

[Welcome to the Vault of Ascendants.]

[This archive stores cultivation legacies, bloodline techniques, and records of Ascendants who served the Celestial Empire.]

His breath caught.

The Celestial Empire.

That name had been buried even deeper than the Crimson Sky Sect's true history. The world thought the Celestial Empire had vanished millennia ago, destroyed in a cataclysmic war of gods and rebels. But the truth, Li Tian was realizing, was always deeper.

And the fact that this vault had recognized him as a bloodline inheritor meant one thing:

He wasn't just a reborn cultivator. He was an heir to the very empire that shattered the heavens.

Li Tian approached the floating orb. As his fingers brushed its surface, a flood of memories surged into his mind—not his own, but echoes of lives long gone.

He saw golden palaces above the clouds, battles that split continents, beasts the size of mountains, and cultivators who wielded the laws of creation like playthings.

And he saw himself.

Or rather, a figure who looked just like him, standing at the right hand of the Celestial Emperor, wielding thunder and storm.

Then darkness. Betrayal. The empire crumbling from within.

And silence.

He staggered back, eyes wide.

"Why was I reborn here?" he whispered. "Why now?"

[System Directive: Restore the legacy. Reclaim the power. Rebuild the Empire.]

It wasn't a mission. It was a destiny.

But before he could ponder further, the system's tone shifted.

[Warning: Intrusion detected in outer sect. Multiple energy signatures converging.]

[Probability: 82% likelihood of coordinated attack.]

Li Tian cursed. "Can't I have one moment without chaos?"

He turned from the vault. As much as he wanted to stay and explore its depths, the sect was under threat—and he had a role to play.

With a wave of his hand, the door behind him resealed, the formations resetting.

Then he vanished in a bolt of lightning.

Outside, chaos had already begun.

Flames rose from the eastern watchtower. Smoke curled into the sky like black serpents. Disciples screamed as masked figures descended from the forest cliffs, wielding strange weapons that shimmered with spiritual corruption.

The outer sect was being invaded.

From the treetops, an assassin lunged at a young disciple—but a burst of wind knocked them away.

"Stay back!" barked Liu Fen, her twin swords flashing. She carved a path through the intruders, blood flicking off her blades. "Defensive formation! Protect the weak first!"

She didn't see the enemy behind her until it was too late.

A needle flew, coated in soul-poison. It streaked toward her neck—

And stopped midair.

Electricity crackled. The needle disintegrated.

Li Tian stepped between her and death.

"You look like you could use a break," he said calmly.

Liu Fen gasped. "You—how did—?"

"No time." He glanced around. "Where's Instructor Zhao?"

"Missing. Master Heng is rallying the inner sect. But if this continues, the core will be breached."

"Then we stop it here."

He turned toward the forest and let his qi rise.

The air shifted.

Clouds gathered overhead, dark and churning.

From within the forest, a mocking voice echoed.

"Well, well… the boy lives."

A man stepped forward, his eyes glowing green. His robes bore the symbol of the Black Viper Sect—outlaw cultivators known for poison and assassination. His aura pulsed at the late Core Formation realm.

"I'm going to enjoy pulling your system out of your corpse," he sneered.

Li Tian's expression remained cold.

"I'll give you one chance," he said. "Leave. Or be broken."

The enemy laughed. "You think you're untouchable now, reborn or not?"

Lightning arced across Li Tian's shoulders. His hair lifted in the growing wind.

"No," he said. "I know I am."

The battle began.

The enemy attacked first, his movements swift and shadowed. Blades of venom qi shot forward in a fan, aiming for vital points.

Li Tian weaved between them, each step infused with stormlight. He flicked his fingers—and the blades exploded mid-air.

The assassin cursed and lunged again.

Their clash lit the air with fury.

Each blow of Li Tian's fists cracked the earth. Each dodge left afterimages. He moved with precision honed by two lifetimes—and power amplified by the system.

[Skill Activated: Stormwalker Step Lv. 5]

[Effect: +40% movement speed, +10% evasion, elemental shockwaves with each dodge.]

He circled the enemy like a tempest, raining blows from every side. The assassin tried to counter with poisonous mist—but Li Tian had long since adapted.

He clapped his hands—and a storm barrier erupted around him, sucking in the gas and dispersing it.

Then he struck.

His palm hit the man's chest.

Thunder roared.

The enemy screamed as arcs of lightning tore through his core. His dantian cracked.

Li Tian didn't stop.

"Try to pull my system again," he growled, grabbing the man by the throat. "Try it."

The assassin choked, panic in his eyes.

Then—something unexpected.

He laughed.

Blood bubbled from his mouth. "Too late, heir of thunder. You're already playing into their hands."

"What?"

But the assassin's body convulsed—then detonated, forcing Li Tian to leap back. A sacrificial explosion designed to cripple him.

He barely escaped, his robes scorched.

[Damage sustained: Minor. Absorbing elemental residue.]

Smoke curled around him.

But his expression had gone dark.

They knew who he was.

And they were coming for him.

Back in the Vault of Ascendants, the central orb pulsed once—then dimmed.

Far away, in a hidden temple beneath the sea, a figure stirred.

A woman cloaked in shadows, her eyes glowing with ancient malice, turned to face the rising storm.

"So… the bloodline awakens," she murmured.

Behind her, dozens of figures kneeled.

"Shall we strike?" one asked.

The woman shook her head.

"No. Let him grow. Let him gather the ashes of his empire. The higher he climbs…" she smiled coldly, "…the harder the fall."

Back in the Crimson Sky Sect, the fires had been extinguished. The wounded were tended to. But unease clung to the air.

Li Tian stood atop the sect's outer wall, gazing toward the distant peaks.

They had sent a message.

But so had he.

Liu Fen approached quietly. "They feared you."

"They should."

"Who do you think sent them?"

"I don't know yet. But I'll find out."

She nodded. "The sect owes you. I owe you."

"You don't owe me anything. Just stay alive."

She laughed softly. "You sound like a sect master."

He didn't smile.

Not yet.

His mind was already turning.

If they knew his bloodline, then the others might too. The great sects. The clans. The enemies of the old empire. They'd all come, eventually.

And when they did, he would be ready.

Because he wasn't just here to survive.

He was here to rebuild the world.

One broken piece at a time.