High above the clouds, Liang Chen stood upon his empty, majestic castle. His assistant clone bowed deeply.
"Boss… you're really leaving?"
Liang Chen smirked, waving casually. "Heaven's boring. Time to see my world with my own eyes. Take care of the castle, don't slack off."
"Y-Yes, boss!" the clone saluted like a loyal employee.
Without hesitation, Liang Chen jumped from the castle balcony as nothing worries, his soul turning into a streak of light of some candle like rushing downward, piercing the fabric of realms breaking some walls suppression on his powers .
Chen Family, Tio Forest
meanwhile,
A man in blood-stained robes laying on the ground. His face was pale dull, his breathing shallow so slow as mouth breather, poison eating away at his veins cuseing his veins to look like dark like some tattoo.
This was Bai Chen, once a blazing genius of the Chen Clan. Son of the second wife of the Clan Head, born with talent that made elders nod in approval. At one time, he was even in line to be the next family head.
But fate had been cruel.
Because of love, he had stepped back, giving the seat of clan head to his elder brother. That same brother, with a smile full of knives, had taken everything from him. His wife had fled the very day she gave birth, truth revealed it had been all part of his brother's scheme to isolate him, destroy him, and secure his power.
Now, Bai Chen lay abandoned, blood seeping into the forest soil.
The assassins stood above him, mocking laughter on their lips.
"You were a good fighter, Elder Bai Chen," one sneered. "But still just Qi Gathering peak… almost reaching Golden Core. Too bad your talent made your brother uneasy. Pray to heaven in your next life, hahahaha!"
They turned, leaving him to rot like a dog.
Bai Chen's fading eyes trembled.
He thought of his son the boy born with prodigious talent. If he died, his child would be next.
Tears and blood mixed as he whispered, voice cracking:
"I don't want a next life… Heaven… if you are there… please… help me… help me protect him…"
And at that moment, Heaven answered.
From the skies, Liang Chen's soul streaked down like a comet, slamming into Bai Chen's body.
Boom!
The dying elder's body shuddered, light erupting from his chest. His shattered veins glowed, his fading soul clung to the new arrival.
"Wha!?" Bai Chen gasped, eyes wide as he felt another consciousness flooding in.
Liang Chen's voice echoed within:
"Old man… I heard your cry. From now on, we are one."
Their souls intertwined, merging. Memories of castles, of heaven's system, of betrayal, of poison, of a son in danger blended together.
The poison evaporated under a golden flame. His qi sea trembled, reshaping.
A new existence was born.
From this day forward
Liang Chen was Bai Chen.
Bai Chen was Liang Chen.
One body, one soul, carrying both vengeance and heaven's mandate.
Scene: The Merge of Liang Chen and Bai Chen
Bai Chen's body trembled as the golden like light filled him, his half-fading soul holding on with desperation can't do anything else. Suddenly, another voice spoke inside his mind calm, casual, almost playful cuz from now a new journey is going to start.
As then our og mc started sharing words..
Liang Chen said, "Well… now I'm mortal again. Even heavenly dao ended up in flesh, huh?"
Bai Chen blinked in confusion, his voice weak in their shared consciousness.
"You… you're not from this world. As far as I saw you are Heavenly Dao itself!"
Liang Chen chuckled.
"Hah, nah, don't mistake me for the real deal. It's only because of your prayers that I heard you. You could say… fate tied us together."
"But… Heavenly Dao is the creator of all this," Bai Chen pressed, brows furrowed.
Liang Chen laughed even louder.
"Creator? Nah, you're mistaken. The Heavenly Dao is just a power creation of the True God. No one knows Him, no one's seen Him but trust me, He's real. As for me… let's just say I was running His errands and got bored."
Bai Chen's eyes widened. "True God…? You mean even Heavenly Dao has a boss?"
Liang Chen grinned inside his mind. "Exactly. You could say I was… an employee of the heavens. And now, I just resigned. Congratulations, Bai Chen you've got me as your roommate."
Bai Chen froze, then laughed bitterly. "So Heaven's like us mortals after all. It has bosses, employees, even quitters. Hah!"
Before their laughter could fade, a new sound echoed—ding!
💡 A green screen appeared in their shared vision, glowing like jade, but with lines moving like some little AI assistant.
> [System Initiating: Strongest Lord System…]
[Welcome, Host.]
Liang Chen blinked.
"Oh-ho? This one looks different from my Great Heavenly Dao System… but fine. Looks like you got upgraded benefits, old man."
Bai Chen stared at the green screen, stunned.
"Strongest Lord System…? What is this? Another heavenly joke?"
Liang Chen smirked.
"Call it a blessing, call it paperwork error either way, our journey starts now."
Bai Chen's soul trembled, but his lips curved.
"Who would have thought… even Heavenly Dao is like us mortals? Hah! This world truly is strange."
As they both laughed, the merging process reached its peak. Light swallowed the forest.
From that day forward, Bai Chen and Liang Chen became one a mortal elder, blessed by the prayers of despair, carrying the will of Heaven's discarded power, walking toward a path of wonders.
Scene: Bai Chen's New Beginning
The green screen pulsed again, words flashing like it was teasing him.
> [Master: Bai Chen]
Cultivation: Qi Gathering, Last Stage (half-dead version).
Special Attribute: Luck — comparable to a cockroach in a burning house.
Bai Chen's jaw twitched.
"…what the hell? A cockroach?"
Liang Chen's voice chuckled faintly in his mind.
"Ah… now I see. No wonder you ended up dying so miserably. With luck this bad, even Heaven itself forgot to care. Hah, tragic. But don't blame yourself it's all just fate rolling dice randomly."
Bai Chen clenched his teeth, then smirked bitterly.
"So even Heaven admits my luck is trash…? Fine. At least now, you're here. New Heavenly Dao on a trip through cultivation, right? Let's see what this trip gives me."
The system chimed again, with a strange fatherly tone.
> [Strongest Lord System: Activated.]
[Primary Function: Protect and Defend Master's Family.]
[Side Note: Upgrades possible through defending your son from danger.]
Bai Chen froze.
"Wait… protect my son? That brat… is my golden ticket?"
The system's green glow flickered, almost smug.
> [Yes. If your son is in danger, your cultivation will instantly rise equal to the enemy's strength only to defend him.]
Bai Chen blinked, then burst into laughter.
"So basically… as long as people keep trying to kill my kid, I get stronger? Hahaha! Wonderful! Truly, the heavens are comedians."
He dusted off his ragged robe, his steps steady now. Each movement carried a new edge of confidence.
"Fine then. Let them come. Let the assassins, schemers, and bastards test their fate. I'll defend my son, and through him, rise higher than anyone dreamed."
With that, Bai Chen walked out of the blood-stained forest, the broken elder who had begged the heavens now carrying the will of a discarded Dao and a system that reeked of overprotective parenting.
The wind blew gently. Somewhere in the Chen Clan, a child sneezed.
And Bai Chen smiled.
"Looks like Father's coming back, kid."