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## The Hegemony of the Die Family
The name **Die Yuan** was no longer just whispered in the shadows; it was a name that commanded the trembling respect of millions. Within a staggeringly short time, the **Die Family** had ascended to become the undisputed number one power in the **Heavenly Baran Domain**.
To understand the scale of this achievement, one must understand the Domain itself. The Heavenly Baran Domain is a gargantuan expanse, containing over 100 sovereign countries and more than 1,000 sprawling metropolises. It is part of a world 1,000 times larger than Earth, a land where 45 such domains exist, each vying for supremacy.
The Die Family's strength was now terrifying:
* **12 Ancestors:** High-level masters who served as the family's pillars.
* **The Die Army:** 2,000,000 soldiers, each at least a **Level 3 Martial Practitioner**.
* **The Elite Core:** Over 500 Level 5 experts and 100 Level 6 masters.
Yet, for Die Yuan, this was merely a beginning. He looked at his legions and felt only the cold sting of ambition. To a true **Immortal**, these numbers were still like ants in the dirt.
### The Sect's Submission
Die Yuan returned to his former Martial Sect one last time. The air changed the moment he stepped through the gates; the disciples who once looked down on him now avoided his gaze, bowing so low their foreheads touched the stone.
The Sect Leader, a man who once held absolute authority, approached Die Yuan with a humbled posture. "Die Yuan... or should I say, Lord of the Die Family? I never imagined the young man in our ranks belonged to the clan that now rules the entire Baran Domain. I have heard rumors... that your family now houses cultivators of **Level 9 and even Level 10**."
"Your rumors are correct," Die Yuan replied, his voice devoid of emotion.
The Sect Leader hesitated, then took a deep breath. "Our sect has only one Ancestor at Level 9. Compared to you, we are a pond next to an ocean. I have spoken with our elders... we wish to dissolve our independent status and merge into the Die Family. Please, do not reject us."
Die Yuan gave a slow, sharp nod. "Acceptable. Strength follows strength."
The System chimed in his mind:
> **[NOTIFICATION]**
> **Sect Integration Successful. Reward: Global Level Up.**
> **The Die Family's foundation has strengthened. All members' cultivation speed increased.**
With the sect handled and the domain secured, Die Yuan felt the pull of the distant horizons. He bid a final "goodbye" to the familiar lands and set out on a journey toward the **Heaven and Earth Domain**, seeking a power that transcended mortal borders.
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## The Fall of the Radiant Sun: Fang's Betrayal
While Die Yuan traveled, the story shifts to a different corner of the world, where a young man named **Fang** was experiencing the cruelest day of his life.
Fang had been a prodigy, the "Radiant Sun" of his city. At a remarkably young age, he had reached **Level 3**, bringing immense honor to his family. He was kind, heroic, and deeply in love with his fiancée, **Xioneya**, the most beautiful woman in the country. They were the golden couple, destined for greatness.
But shadows grow longest in the brightest light.
The son of his Sect Leader, consumed by jealousy, poisoned Fang's food with a forbidden toxin. The poison didn't kill him; it did something worse—it **shattered his cultivation roots**. Overnight, the genius became a "trash" who could no longer hold Qi.
The reaction of the world was instantaneous and brutal.
* **His Family:** Seeing him as useless, they stripped him of his name and threw him into the streets.
* **The Public:** The people he once protected now spat on him as he passed.
* **The Betrayal:** Fang's final hope was Xioneya. He dragged his broken body to her wedding palace, only to find her standing beside the very man who had poisoned him.
"Xioneya!" Fang screamed, his voice hoarse. "How can you marry him? You loved me!"
Xioneya looked at him, tears streaming down her face, but she stood frozen. Her new husband, the Sect Leader's son, smirked. He grabbed Xioneya and kissed her deeply right in front of Fang.
"Look at her, Fang," the husband laughed. "She is mine now. She's only marrying me to keep my father from executing you. You're a beggar living on her pity."
Fang fell to his knees, the sound of his heart breaking louder than the festive music. "The world I loved... has abandoned me."
The husband signaled his guards. "Throw this trash into the wasteland. Let the desert have him."
As the guards dragged Fang through the city gates, he begged the onlookers—people who once cheered his name—for help. "Please! These guards are only Level 5! There are many of you here who could stop them! Don't let them do this!"
The citizens looked away. Some even laughed. "Why help a loser? You're nothing now, Fang."
### A Meeting with the God of Death
Three days passed.
Fang was crawling through the endless dunes of the great desert. His throat was a desert of its own; he hadn't tasted a drop of water or a crumb of bread since his exile. The heat was a physical weight, pressing him into the sand.
As his vision began to fade, he saw a silhouette against the shimmering heat haze.
A figure approached. He wore a **flowing black robe**, a **traditional wide-brimmed black hat**, and his long hair caught the wind like silk. He looked like the **Yama** (God of Death) himself coming to collect a soul.
Fang collapsed, his eyes closing as he whispered, "Finally... death has come for me."
Hours later, Fang's eyes fluttered open. He was in the shade of a rock formation. He wasn't dead. His cracked lips felt the moisture of water. He looked up and saw the man in black standing with his back turned, looking out over the desert.
"Am I... still alive?" Fang croaked.
"You are," the man replied. It was **Die Yuan**. His voice was like a cold breeze in the furnace of the desert.
Fang began to sob, the weight of his betrayal finally breaking him. "Why? Why did you save me? My family, my friends, my love... everyone threw me away like garbage. I am a man with broken roots. I have nothing!"
Die Yuan turned around. His eyes were not filled with pity, but with a terrifying, familiar coldness. He had come to this city to expand his influence, and in the sand, he had found a weapon worth forging.
"They threw you away because they are weak," Die Yuan said, stepping closer. "And you are crying because you still care what weaklings think. You seek a reason for being saved? I don't save people, Fang. I collect tools. And right now, you look like a tool that wants to burn the world down."
Fang looked at Die Yuan, and for the first time since his fall, he didn't feel sadness. He felt a spark of the same dark fire he saw in the stranger's eyes.
"Tell me," Die Yuan whispered, leaning down. "Do you want your cultivation back? Do you want to see them scream as their city burns? If you follow me, I will make you a God of Ruin. But you must promise me one thing: the Fang who felt 'love' must stay buried in this sand."
Fang reached out a trembling hand and gripped Die Yuan's black robe. "I don't want love. I want justice. I want... **revenge**."
Die Yuan smiled—the smile of a demon who had just found a new soul to command. "Then stand up, my disciple. Your new life begins now."