Prelude – Whisper of the Abyss
> "When the heavens cast down their chosen, the abyss listens.
When the world forgets a name, the Dao remembers."
The ancient mountain range of the Azure Sky Sect glowed beneath the early dawn. Mist coiled through jagged peaks, carrying the whispers of disciples training, their Qi flickering like scattered stars. Above them, a single silhouette stood at the cliff's edge — a young man with black hair darker than the void, his robes fluttering against the rising wind.
His name was Gu Tian.
Seventeen years old — calm, silent, and unreadable.
He had once been called a prodigy. The youngest to open his Spirit Veins, the first to condense True Qi under the ninth moon. Yet this morning, that name echoed through the sect with contempt rather than awe.
From the mist below, voices rose — cold and mocking.
> "So this is the so-called genius? The one who dared defy the Sect Master's decree?"
"A pity. He had talent. But talent without loyalty is rebellion."
Gu Tian didn't flinch. His dark eyes reflected the far horizon, the world he had once sworn to protect. Inside, his Qi pulsed violently — unstable, suppressed. He could feel it: the chains the elders had sealed within him after his "crime."
He had not betrayed the sect. He had only refused to kneel.
> "Kneel to what? To a heaven that devours those who reach too high?"
The wind carried that unspoken thought like a curse.
Behind him, footsteps approached — measured, deliberate. The sound of authority.
"Gu Tian," said a voice like iron wrapped in silk. "You stand accused of treason, of hoarding forbidden techniques, and of concealing demonic energy. Do you have anything to say before judgment is passed?"
Gu Tian turned slowly. Standing before him was Sect Master Ling Zhen, his former mentor, eyes cold as jade. Behind him, elders formed a half-circle, robes flowing like storm clouds.
Gu Tian's gaze was steady. "I cultivated what you all feared to understand. The Devouring Dao does not serve demons—it devours false heavens."
The crowd stirred in outrage. Someone shouted, "Blasphemy!"
But Gu Tian did not bow. His expression was calm, almost sorrowful. "If Heaven forbids growth beyond its limits… then Heaven itself deserves to be devoured."
Lightning cracked through the clouds above — as if the heavens themselves heard his defiance.
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