The Unparalleled Continent, Tianfeng Country.
In the Fallen Leaf Valley, a famed graveyard outside the royal city, a bright moon hung high against the night sky, casting a ghostly silver light onto the desolate tombstones.
Autumn winds swept across the valley, prompting the dried and yellowed leaves to dance in the air as if given a new lease of life.
At one of the tombstones, a lonely whisper could be heard.
"A thousand years..."
Should one happen to be near, they would notice a pair of withered hands reaching up from the ground behind a tombstone labeled "The Grave of Su Yang".
Slowly, a head, a body, and feet emerged...
The climber proved to be a young man, looking incredibly emaciated, much like a skeleton wrapped in a layer of yellowed skin.
In those profound eyes, however, lies an intense depth that seemed as if he could perceive every secret the world held.
No one could expect a teenager, who should be around sixteen or seventeen, to carry such vast experiences that his aura was laded with traces of time, giving off the vibe of an old man rather than a youth.
"Time flies as swift as an arrow, yet who knew fate could be as unpredictable as a bow."
Despite the experience feeling like a dream of a thousand years, Su Yang could clearly sense that one year had passed in the Unparalleled Continent.
…
A year ago, Su Yang, the second son of Tianfeng Country's Grand Marshal, was an unprecedented martial arts prodigy in the history of Tianfeng Country.
Merely half a year into his training and he already attained the legendary realm of marrow cleaning. By the age of eleven, he broke into the realm of Qi Sea, Star Realm when he was twelve, Moon Realm at fourteen, and broke into the Yang Realm when he was sixteen.
In just a few years, he had walked on a path that many people couldn't complete in their whole lifetime. Su Yang's speed of cultivation, which can only be described as 'cheating', had sparked the vigilance of the ruler of Tianfeng Kingdom.
The Su family had previously raised the Grand General, Su Zhenyuan, who was famed for his extraordinary merits that surpassed most aristocrats. He led the troops to suppress the barbarians in the Western Region, protecting countless civilians in Tianfeng Kingdom from the calamities of war, thus earning the deep love and trust of the people.
The eldest son of the grand general was wise in both the literary and military strategies. At the age of fifteen, he joined the army. After standing out from an army of a million soldiers and enduring years of hardship, he had grown into a rare talent that could hold his own.
However, Su Yang's rare and extraordinary talents became the final straw that broke the back of the ruler of the Tianfeng Kingdom.
In this world, where martial prowess was esteemed above all else, the talent of generals was not particularly frightening, as there were some individuals who could stand against an entire army by themselves.
Even though Su Zhenyuan had no hint of rebellion in his heart, the king still couldn't help but be suspicious of the Su family, wanting to eliminate them as a threat once and for all.
And Su Yang, who was left alone in the imperial city, naturally became the most suitable target.
So, a year ago, an event that shook the Tianfeng Kingdom and shocked everyone occurred.
The event from a year ago...
"Ha!" Su Yang squinted slightly, touched the wooden Buddha statue in his chest and had a strong confidence showing on his face.
"I’m eager to see who can still harm me this time?"
A year ago, Su Yang's body filled with countless arrow holes was buried in the Fallen Leaf Valley.
No one knew that Su Yang's riddled body, under the illumination of the Buddha statue, gradually healed.
And his soul, guided by an inexplicable force, had entered the legendary 'Heaven Realm'!
A realm that is supreme among countless realms!
In the Divine Realm, there is a cultivation system far superior to that of the Unparalleled Continent.
Carrying deep-seated hatred, Su Yang arrived in that world. The number of life-or-death situations he's been through is unknown.
He would often wake up from countless nightmares at night, driven by hatred to keep practicing and getting stronger.
He knew full well in this world where the strong prey on the weak, the fist is the only means to survive.
Although facing death may seem simple, he couldn't do it. He was not just living for himself but also had the lives of hundreds of people from the Zhen Guo Manor on his shoulders.
"He must avenge them!"
With rage and deep-seated hatred,
after who knows how many life and death crises, Su Yang has become the ruler of the Divine Realm — the Holy Emperor.
Even if the heavy injury a year ago caused Su Yang to lose all his abilities, it was merely a fresh journey to the peak for the current Su Yang.
...
...
Under the guide of an unfathomable force, Su Yang’s soul traversed through endless time and space, entering the supreme Divine Realm.
Therefore, his days in the Divine Realm for a thousand years, his epoch-making experiences, they all really happened.
This means, once Su Yang dies in the Divine Realm, it will be the true dissipation of his soul, his life and path extinguished.
The cultivation techniques from his memory are all real and existent, preserving the clear memories of a thousand years.
All kinds of cultivation methods, martial techniques, mystical powers and so forth......
After deep consideration, Su Yang selected a cultivation method aptly named 'Devouring Heaven and Creating All.'
The reason for Su Yang's choice was simple - straightforward and extremely domineering.
'Devouring Heaven and Creating All' was the ultimate cultivation method practiced by his friend in the Heavenly Realm who, like Su Yang, was also one among the Ten Great Saint Emperors known as the Devouring Heaven Saint Emperor.
As good friends, Su Yang naturally understood the method as well.
'Devouring Heaven and Creating All!
'That which existed during the creation of Heaven and Earth can devour everything. Refined to the extreme, it can devour heaven and earth, usurping the Creation of Heaven and Earth..."
One by one, the mental techniques passed through Su Yang's mind and were quickly and completely comprehended.
Su Yang without any hesitation started practicing right on top of his own grave.
At this moment, the domineering power of 'Devouring Heaven and Creating All' was completely exhibited, as Su Yang absorbed the Aura between Heaven and Earth into his body at a visible speed.
If there were observers, they wouldn't have a hard time realizing that the absorbed Aura contains strands of black energy.
Su Yang noticed it too. After all, Leaf Valley is a graveyard and as time passes, it is inevitable that the air carries a gloomy aura.
However, Su Yang had no worries; on the contrary, the domineering 'Devouring Heaven and Creating All' took the eerie aura that would pose a great hidden danger to ordinary people and converted it into a great supplement for Su Yang.
As the gloomy aura was continuously absorbed and refined into Su Yang's body, Leaf Valley lost its former gloominess.
With the power of 'Devouring Heaven and Creating All', the mass of gloomy aura accumulated in Leaf Valley over time, was devoured completely by Su Yang in a single night.
Su Yang's cultivation rapidly recovered to its previous stage of Marrow Refinement Extreme Realm, and was even increasing at a visible rate.
The previously withered body like a skeleton, slowly nourished and developed flesh and blood. The complexion gradually turned fair and delicate.
Also, Su Yang restarted his practice in the Sea of Qi with familiarity.
Sea of Qi first stage, Sea of Qi second stage... up to the pinnacle of the Sea of Qi.
Once he reached the pinnacle of the Sea of Qi, he broke through to the Star Realm as though slicing through bamboo, eventually stopping at the third stage of the Star Realm.
The time for cultivation is always short. The eastern sky gradually revealed the color of fish belly white, indicating dawn, and Su Yang also stopped his cultivation.
He tested the weak strength of his body, suddenly transitioning from the heavenly divine emperor to a martial artist at the third stage of the Star Realm.
Su Yang felt somewhat unaccustomed, even though the strong spiritual energy inside him now far surpassed that of any ordinary Star Realm martial artist.
After becoming familiar with his body once again, he began his journey towards the imperial city.