Jian Family, Bamboo Stream Ravine
The Jian family's old ancestor held the white jade box in his hands and examined it closely. His brow furrowed.
"Shangxi, where did this come from?"
Seeing that the elder's expression had soured, Jian Shangxi immediately stepped forward and recounted everything. He told of how Jian Yue had left the clan grounds without permission, how she had been caught, and how the box was discovered. Then, cautiously, he asked:
"Ancestor, could that demon cultivator be a lost descendant of our Jian clan?"
Jian Chenzi remained silent for a long moment before asking:
"Only you and Yue'er have seen this item? No third party knows?"
"I found it in the storage pouch she received from the woman. Yue'er is already being punished with seclusion for reflection. No one else has been informed."
"Good. Then let this matter end here. Do not speak of it again. Even if you meet that female demon cultivator in the future, treat her as a stranger."
"But…"
"Things are not always as they appear."
That single line shook Jian Shangxi to his core. There was clearly a hidden truth, but the elder refused to speak further.
"You may go. Leave the item with me. When the other ancestors emerge from seclusion, we will discuss it together."
"Yes, Ancestor."
As Jian Shangxi left, Jian Chenzi remained in silence for a long time, then sighed.
Back then, when the spiritual qi of the Nether realm grew too thin, the Jian clan departed together. During the use of a long-distance teleportation array, the main bloodline was meant to leave last. But a branch family member, disgruntled by the main bloodline hoarding all resources and envious of their talents, tampered with the teleportation array.
As a result, the core descendants were left behind.
He could still hear the deranged laughter of that clansman:
"Hahaha! Let's see how the main bloodline plans to leave this world now."
But ten thousand years had passed. No one from the Nether realm had ever ascended and even the Cultivation realm Jian Clan has not had a successful ascension
That very clansman had once attempted ascension to Immortal Realm, triggering a tribulation, only to be reduced to ashes by heavenly lightning.
After him, none dared to try. They all slowed their cultivation, too fearful to follow
Back then, Jian Chenzi hadn't even built his foundation yet. But he still remembered the calm, distant look in the eyes of the Patriarch, directed at that crazed clansman, as though already seeing a corpse.
And indeed, that man was soon dust on the wind.
Now, this female demon cultivator—could she be a descendant of the main bloodline left behind? Jian Chenzi could not be certain.
But this white jade box did bear the clan insignia. The carved magnolia blossom on the lid was undeniably the emblem of the core lineage.
Jian Chenzi pulled out another jade slip nearby, which contained recently obtained intelligence. Reports of a looming invasion by black-armored beetles from beyond the realm.
Something unseen was clearly manipulating the flow of events. Watching the shifting signs in the heavens, he understood:
The Jian clan's reemergence was no longer a question of "if", but "when".
Ming Valley
Jian Dan continued cycling the Heavenly Demon Art, further consolidating the demonic qi in her dantian and meridians. Her core was already half full.
Satisfied, she ended her cultivation session. This method of growing stronger between battles suited her perfectly.
"Master, more of those little flyers ahead," the spirit of Mó Yuè Zhǎn warned her at once.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go take a look."
Another swarm of scythe-armed mantises were clashing with the Nether Beasts. Dense as a tide, the mantises relied on their powerful leaps to overwhelm their enemies, swarming over them in an instant.
The leading Ming Beast was buried beneath a writhing pile of insects, its roars echoing across the battlefield as scythe-like forelimbs slashed down again and again.
Jian Dan watched the chaotic melee unfold—shrieks, gusts of wind from flashing blades, the rhythmic thuds of giant bodies colliding—and clenched her jaw. She sent a voice transmission to her weapon spirit.
"There are too many this time. Can you handle it?"
"Hmph! Master, you should have more faith in me."
"Wasn't it you who fled back to my dantian to recover after fighting just one giant black beetle?"
"That thing was as strong as a Mahayana cultivator! What did you expect?"
"Really? That powerful?"
"Of course! Do you even know who I am?"
"Sure. I was talking about the beetle."
"Knew you had nothing nice to say."
Even while bantering, they wasted no time.
Mó Yuè Zhǎn split into countless forms, slicing down on the insects' joints. Legs flew like rain.
Jian Dan reached out to the will of Liu Chuan, borrowing a branch. With its strength, she dove into the insect tide, sweeping the branch in tight arcs. Under the power of her Divine Soul stage cultivation, a single strike tore more than a dozen two-meter mantises into pieces.
Her feet never stopped moving. She vanished and reappeared across the field, keeping herself from being overwhelmed.
As Jian Dan fought with wild momentum, Mo Qi's team finally arrived. At the second battlefield, Black Robe Guard scouted ahead and confirmed that Mó Yuè hadn't been gone long.
They quickly sat to absorb and refine the ambient demonic qi. Then, following the crescent-shaped markings Jian Dan had left behind, they delved deeper.
The number of insect corpses grew as they advanced, and the grim expressions on their faces matched.
When they finally caught up, the scene was one of carnage. Jian Dan stood at the center of a mountain of corpses, surrounded by Ming Beasts working in coordination.
They spotted Mó Yuè wielding the willow branch with brutal efficiency. With each swipe, rows of mantises were sliced in half. Her expression was so cold it could freeze bone.
Mó Yuè Zhǎn, meanwhile, moved like a scythe in a wheat field, harvesting heads in batches. The corpses stumbled a few more steps under their own inertia before toppling like cut trees.
The team exchanged a glance. Without hesitation, they drew their weapons and plunged into the insect horde.
Jian Dan had already sensed their arrival. As they rushed in, she shouted:
"Target the joints, especially the hind legs. Don't let them surround you. And don't attack the Ming Beasts. They're helping us."
"Got it!"
Mo Yi unleashed his signature weapon, the Earth-Cleaving Axe. With a single swing, it split the ground and flattened scores of insects on either side.
Mo Su's poisoned dagger, Frost Moon Blade, froze every mantis within a hundred meters in an instant. Then, with a single reverse slash, shattered them into fragments.
Their senior sister, Mo Qi, was practically glowing. Her eyes sparkled at the sight of the swarming insects. She licked her lips and swung her dual daggers, forming a glowing net that dropped from the sky, slicing everything it touched into neatly cubed meat.
The Black Robe Guards displayed their elite training, forming a Nine Palaces formation. Like a grinding wheel, they rolled over the battlefield. The insect bodies fell like rain, filling the trench that Mo Yi had carved in no time.
Their arrival turned the tide completely. After an hour of slaughter, the team finally stopped and returned their weapons to their dantians.
Jian Dan withdrew Mó Yuè Zhǎn, then joined up with the others.
"Senior Sister, you got here fast."
Mo Qi sheathed her weapons and shook her head.
"You've got guts, I'll give you that. Didn't you see how many insects there were? You just charged in like it was nothing. Tired of living?"
"Don't be mad, Senior Sister. I knew you all were catching up. That's why I went all in. Why let our enemies walk away with the advantage?"
"You and your excuses. Tell me what's really going on. I can already tell this situation is worse than it looks."
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This is the beginning of True Heir Saga as in part of the main title True Heir of Chaos. Now we knew the backstory of Jian Clan in Nether and Cultivation Realm, with the true identity of Jian Dan, it will be clear that her relationship with her Clan in Cultivation Realm anything but smooth.
Her true identity as the direct lineage of the main branch also accompany her when she ascend to Immortal Realm for obvious reason (^◔ᴥ◔^).
Why I use 'Saga' not 'Journey' for this?
Because it have:
Multi-Generational Conflict- The story spans 10,000 years, involving the fall and rise of the Jian Clan's main bloodline. Themes of betrayal, legacy, and power struggles align with saga tropes;
Clan-Wide Consequences. Not just Jian Dan's growth, but the fate of the entire Jian Clan across realms (Nether, Cultivation, Immortal). Political intrigue, prejudice, and succession battles ("young patriarch appointment") scream saga.
If the focus were solely on Jian Dan's personal growth (e.g., her ascent from the Nether Realm), "journey" would fit. However, this 'story' is far larger: it's about bloodlines, clan politics, and rewriting history—a saga's domain.
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Honestly, I'm not even sure why I'm writing this (-_-;)・・・