Chapter 1: Li Wuji

The wind howled through the lifeless trees as Li Wuji was taken through the gates of the infamous Black Temple; his arms were bound tightly behind his back. The rugged young man now exuded an air of cold resolve, his eyes sharp and calculating.

Betrayed by his own clansmen and sentenced to a lifetime of imprisonment, Li Wuji was still digesting the brutal betrayal. The guards sneered at him as they threw him into his cell, the heavy iron door slamming shut with a deafening echo.

"Bastards." Li Wuji spat towards the door before his gaze swept across the dimly lit cell; his mind was already analyzing the surroundings. The cramped space and rough-hewn stone walls were the first things he noticed in the tiny space.

The air in the cell was suffocating, tainted by the musty scent of mildew and decay. It was a revolting smell that reflected his dire situation, as he would have to sleep through the awful smell.

"To think my clansmen could be this wicked." His mind focused and his heart hardened. Li Wuji recalled the events that led him to this treacherous place.

Once a skilled hunter from Blue Carp County, he had been pushed to the edge by the greed and disdain of his pathetic relatives who had submitted to the Jie Clan. It was their jealousy towards his fortuitous encounter that had prompted false accusations against him, leading to his unjust imprisonment and seizure of his valuables.

"It appears that I can only place my faith within this." As Li Wuji sat on the cold, hard ground, he touched an elongated knife wound that was situated near his chest and took a deep breath before plunging his hand into the wound. 

 

The anguish he felt was almost unbearable as he constantly moved his hand within the wound; it was as if he were looking for something. Blood began to trickle onto the prison floor as Li Wuji refused to give in.

'It seems the first act is about unfold.' In the midst of his thoughts, Li Wuji was finally able to grasp the object he so desperately sought and with a strained expression, he pulled it out of his chest.

The object that was now in his hand was a circular orb with a sinister red glow, LI Wuji looked at the artifact with a labored smile on his face. 

"Those fools from the Jie clan were far too conceited and only took the things that appeared to have value in their eyes." Li Wuji did not care about the blood that was staining his robes, as all his attention was on the circular red orb. 

Li Wuji observed the orb with a keen eye; it was crimson red and appeared to have a strange mist of smoke inside of it. This smoke was the very thing that Li Wuji coveted the most. It was the quintessence of an Imperial Martial Saint, Blood Deity. 

An Imperial Martial saint were an existence that dictated the fate of their world, It was a known fact that every Imperial Martial Saint was the undisputed overlord of their region and would only be restrained by their fellow Martial saints and no one else. 

If the Jie clan were to know that Li Wuji had let them obtain all his belongings while he kept the Blood Orb, they would be utterly enraged. Their was no point in comparing the two, as the Blood orb allowed a martial artist a clear path to becoming a Martial saint.

'This shall be the turning point of my fate.' Li Wuji silently declared before crushing the orb in his grasp. The smoke that was contained by the sphere escaped and began to circle around the cramped cell. Li Wuji watched the spiral of red smoke surrounding him and closed his eyes while reciting some indistinct words, causing the smoke to circle around him more erratically. 

Mid-stages of the Origin gathering Stage... Later-stages of the Origin gathering Stage... Peak stage of the Origin gathering Stage... Initial stage of the Qi shattering stage... Mid-stages of the Qi shattering stage 

"Come!" At Li Wuji's shout, the smoke spiraled even faster before vanishing into his ear in one motion. Unknowingly, Li Wuji's cultivation soared from the Origin gathering stage to the Qi shattering stage just by absorbing the smoke from the Blood orb. 

[7th stage of the Qi shattering stage]

Li Wuji closed his eyes firmly and sat in silence once more. The atmosphere in the cell was tranquil, but his consciousness was in complete turmoil. As waves of knowledge and characters flew through his mind before piecing themselves together,.

"The path to cultivation is a difficult and tedious journey to most that traverse it. However, the inheritance that you have opened is one that gives you the ability to traverse through numerous realms unhindered. Do you accept this power?" An ethereal crimson lotus began to gather from amidst the smoke and spoke to Li Wuji. The two beings met and Li Wuji parted his lips slightly and gave his response.

"I accept…" The moment Li Wuji uttered these words, a formless crimson energy emerged from his temple and formed three blood red manuals that gave off an unfathomable aura, which hid sinister intentions towards all lifeforms.

Li Wuji had seen many things during his lifetime, but the appearance of these manuals nearly caused Li Wuji to shout in shock. "These are Sky-tier martial arts manuals." If this discovery were made known to the outside world, Li Wuji would be slaughtered by countless experts for these manuals. 

Cultivation Techniques and Martial arts were separated into Five grades:

[Mortal]

[Mystic]

[Earth]

[Sky]

[Legendary]

[Mythic]

On the Azure Lily Continent, where Li Wuji currently resided, there were a large number of martial arts practitioners who had reached high cultivation levels but lacked the corresponding Cultivation Technique and Martial arts.

A single Sky-tier martial art was enough to cause a civil war within a nation; it was obvious that at some point in the past, these manuals were responsible for the death of countless formidable martial artists.

'The Jie clan is fortunate that they didn't get a hold of these manuals, otherwise they would simply cease to exist after a few days.' Sky-tier martial arts weren't something that a mere Jie clan could afford to possess, let alone a clan; even an empire would be extinguished in order to obtain a Sky-tier martial art.

It showed the lengths some were willing to go in order to obtain power; just to obtain a technique that could properly amplify their power, a powerful expert wouldn't bother about things like being morally upright and being civilized.

"Hmph… If you wish to truly progress on the path of the Martial Dao, these are mere necessities." The blood figure that resembled a lotus seemed to be dissatisfied with Li Wuji's reaction; in its eyes, an expert that didn't possess formidable Martial art and Cultivation techniques weren't worthy of being called an expert.

"The manuals are indeed powerful, but they won't achieve a desirable affect unless.." As Li Wuji replied, he was cut short by the ethereal lotus that began to glow fervently, nearly blinding him as a black manual congealed from thin air that brought about a horrifying malice in the atmosphere.

Li Wuji wasn't as surprised by the abrupt appearance of the black manual, as he had already expected that the ethereal lotus was by no means simple. In the spur of the moment, the lotus had manifested a sky-tier Cultivation Technique that now rested above the three red manuals.

"Familiarize yourself with these manuals and strive to comprehend their essence's; I can assume that these will be sufficient enough for you to escape captivity." The mystical crimson lotus faded into the red smoke that congealed together before forming the blood red orb that fell into Li Wuji's grasp.

A sinister smile played on his lips as he began to eagerly open up the Sky tier manuals and cultivate the contents of the unfathomable enchiridion's, which would no doubt be beneficial for the foreseeable future.

"Ardent Gates, Sky tier Cultivation technique. Once comprehended to the extreme, a practitioner is capable of clashing with cultivators far above their own realm with little difficulty and can even bolster one's body constitution, allowing them to be virtually invulnerable to attacks from enemies with similar strength."

"Five Yaksha Palm art, Sky tier Martial art. Once at the Novice stage, a Cultivator can flatten ordinary demonic beasts like insects; if cultivated to the Adept stage, a valley can be easily destroyed. When cultivated by the master and grandmaster stages, the practitioner's palm becomes the bane to all creatures below Void-shattering realm."

"Ghost Martial Claw art, Sky tier Martial art. Once at the Novice stage, the practitioner is capable of ripping through metals like paper; if cultivated to the Adept stage, even a Body refinement master would be ripped apart in moments. At the master and grandmaster stages, the practitioner can rip through space and negate the distance between them and the enemy, enabling them to injure any opponent from any proximity.

"Devil Flame First art, Sky-tier Martial art. An overbearing fist art that grants practitioners at the Novice stage the ability to directly perforate walls of any structure with relative ease. The power of the punch force doubles at the Adept stage, which enables the practitioner to evaporate lakes with intent alone. The master and grandmaster stage enable the practitioner to obliterate and disintegrate matter regardless of its composition.

One week… Two weeks… Three weeks…

Li Wuji had been confined within the cramped cell for over three weeks, Once a day, a dirty bowl of rice and a cup of water would be delivered to him through a slot at the foot of the door. He seldom consumed anything other than water and would always leave the rice untouched. 

[Devil Flame Fist art 1st move: Mad Devil]

On this day, Li Wuji involuntarily executed the Devil flame fist art on the tray that had the bowl of rice and the cup of water. It was no surprise that the items did not even last a breath as they were reduced to ashes, leaving nothing behind.

"I have no need for these things anymore." Li Wuji rose up and seemed to have a mysterious aura that resonated off of him, giving a hazy presence, When compared to his surroundings, Li Wuji appeared to be out of place.

*Bang!* Bang!* 

Li Wuji could hear a loud banging sound outside the cell; it seemed that the guards were finally going to put them to work. In the Black Temple, new prisoners were isolated to their cells for the first three weeks, What followed was a day-to-day cycle of backbreaking labor and cruel mistreatment.

"Hurry up and come out, worm!" Li Wuji's cell door abruptly opened and a vicious-looking guard that had a face that only a mother could love walked in, His shabby attire reminded him of a beggar who was suddenly employed to work. The man continued to bark out loudly as Li Wuji slowly walked out of the cell into the corridor.