On the Divine Mystery Continent.
Within the Xuan Tian Dynasty stood the imperial mausoleum—sacred ground where generations of emperors rested in eternal silence.
Ancient tombstones stretched across the vast burial grounds like silent soldiers. The cold wind swept through the cemetery, carrying the weight of a fallen dynasty.
Before the rows of imperial graves, a young man knelt.
His features were striking—sword-like brows, eyes bright as stars, and the bearing of a natural ruler. Yet at this moment, his face was pale, drained of all color.
Despair shadowed his handsome features.
"I have failed you…"
His voice was hoarse as he bowed his head toward the ancestral tombs.
"Ancestors… I, Ye Chen, have failed to protect the legacy you left behind."
His fingers slowly clenched into fists.
His eyes reddened, and a cold light flickered within them.
The Xuan Tian Dynasty was one of three great dynasties subordinate to the Flowing Cloud Sect.
Not long ago, the previous emperor had entered a secret realm alongside numerous powerful experts. During that expedition, he had defied the will of one of the Flowing Cloud Sect's Elders.
The consequences were swift and merciless.
The emperor—and every expert who accompanied him—was wiped out.
None returned alive.
As the late emperor's only son, Ye Chen had rightfully inherited the throne.
But the moment the emperor died, the court changed.
His uncle, Prince Ming—who had long coveted the throne—immediately revealed his fangs. With the backing of officials he had secretly bribed for years, he launched a coup.
This very morning, at the imperial court, the civil and military officials had all turned against Ye Chen.
They demanded he issue a decree of self-condemnation.
They demanded he abdicate the throne.
And place the crown upon Prince Ming's head.
Ye Chen almost laughed at the absurdity.
Prince Ming's confidence came from a single, cruel truth.
Ye Chen's mother—the Empress Dowager—had been imprisoned in the dungeons of the Sky-Supervising Pavilion.
She was the blade held against his throat.
"Traitors… all of them."
Ye Chen's voice trembled with suppressed fury.
"Their bows… their flattery… every word was an act."
The memory of those ministers kneeling respectfully before him—only to demand his abdication hours later—burned like acid in his chest.
Suddenly—
A disturbance erupted outside the mausoleum.
"Who goes there?!"
"Assassins! Protect His Majesty!"
"Stop them!"
"Surround the mausoleum! Leave no one alive!"
The sound of steel clashing rang out violently.
Shouts.
Screams.
The sounds of battle drew closer and closer.
Ye Chen slowly lifted his head.
It seemed his final sanctuary had been discovered.
Soon, several hundred figures appeared around the imperial mausoleum, sealing every possible exit.
Each one radiated a fierce and murderous aura.
At the front of the group stood a familiar man.
"Your Majesty."
The man smiled coldly.
"It seems we meet again."
Ye Chen's pupils shrank.
"Wan Yunshan?!"
His voice burst out in disbelief.
"What are you doing here?!"
"You were supposed to go at the northern border!"
A terrible premonition rose in his chest.
Wan Yunshan casually wiped the blood from his long saber with a cloth.
His expression was calm.
"By Prince Ming's order."
"I'm here to bring him your head."
The words struck like thunder.
Ye Chen felt his scalp go numb as a chill ran down his spine.
His eyes turned bloodshot as he stared at the man before him.
"You… dare betray me."
Wan Yunshan.
His most trusted subordinate.
The commander of his personal guards.
Back when Ye Chen had been crown prince, the two had fought side by side on countless battlefields.
Ye Chen had even saved his life once.
The hundreds of soldiers standing behind him were all Imperial Guards.
Men who had once sworn to die protecting their emperor.
"Your Majesty," Wan Yunshan said mockingly.
"Water flows downward. Men climb toward higher places."
"When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter."
His gaze was filled with contempt.
"Prince Ming now holds power over the entire court."
"And you?"
"In his eyes, you are nothing more than an ant."
"So tell me… who should I follow?"
Ye Chen's teeth clenched so hard they nearly shattered.
"A fine explanation."
"Is this how you repay the man who saved your life?"
His voice trembled with suppressed rage.
"So tell me… did you also reveal the things I entrusted to you?"
To stabilize the collapsing court, Ye Chen had secretly ordered Wan Yunshan to deliver messages to loyal generals stationed at the borders.
He had asked them to lead their armies to the capital as reinforcements.
Wan Yunshan chuckled.
"You're quite clever, Your Majesty."
"Yes."
"I gave every letter to Prince Ming."
"They were my gift of loyalty."
He raised his chin proudly.
"Thanks to that, I am now the Grand Commander of the Sky-Supervising Pavilion."
"A second-rank official."
He smirked.
"Much more impressive than being your third-rank Imperial Guard Commander."
Then he turned to the remaining guards in the mausoleum.
"There's no future following this dog emperor."
"Step aside if you value your lives."
He paused, smiling coldly.
"Or…"
"You can join us."
His voice was not loud.
Yet every person in the mausoleum heard it clearly.
Ye Chen's heart sank.
"You shameless traitor!"
A shrill voice suddenly shouted.
It was Zhao Zhong—Ye Chen's personal eunuch.
"You dare spread such nonsense?!"
"Men! Form ranks!"
"Protect His Majesty!"
But Zhao Zhong's voice trembled with fear.
Because he knew the truth.
Wan Yunshan's words had already planted doubt in the guards' hearts.
The loyal soldiers exchanged uneasy glances.
Their faces grew pale.
Before them stood hundreds of elite Imperial Guards.
First-class warriors.
Killing intent rolled off them like a storm.
Resistance meant certain death.
Their fallen comrades already lay in pools of blood.
Fear spread like poison.
Wan Yunshan sneered.
"You can die here with him…"
"Or join us and enjoy wealth and glory."
"I trust none of you are fools."
"Choose wisely."
Silence filled the mausoleum.
Then—
"I surrender!"
"Don't kill me!"
One guard stepped forward.
"I'm willing to join you!"
Once the first man defected, the dam broke.
"Who rules the empire has nothing to do with us!"
"Your Majesty… forgive us…"
"We have families…"
"Don't blame us…"
One by one, the guards turned.
Their blades now pointed at Ye Chen.
Zhao Zhong's face went white.
"You… you dare betray His Majesty?!"
His voice cracked in disbelief.
Wan Yunshan burst into laughter.
"It seems you weren't very popular, Your Majesty."
Ye Chen slowly closed his eyes.
The last trace of hope faded from his heart.
"Xuan Tian… is finished."
Despair swallowed him whole.
His vision darkened.
His body swayed as if he might collapse at any moment.
But just as his consciousness began slipping away—
A cold mechanical voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
[Fate-Binding System activated.]
[Host's life is in critical danger.]
[Initiating physique reconstruction.]
Ye Chen's eyes snapped open.
His dying spirit ignited instantly.
A system!
In his previous life, he had read countless novels.
He knew exactly what this meant.
A cheat.
A miracle.
A chance to overturn fate itself.
For years, he had waited for such a power to awaken.
But nothing had ever happened.
He had already given up hope.
Yet now—
At the moment he stood on the brink of death—
It had finally arrived.
The despair in Ye Chen's heart vanished in an instant.
In its place rose a wild, uncontrollable excitement.
A blazing light ignited in his eyes.