A dense aura of Devil Blood exploded from his body, a fierce rejection of the oppressive Ancient Will's pressure. Zhi Xuan stood tall, the Sea-Breaking Thunder Sword by his side vibrating, its blade emitting Pure Lightning ready to judge the majestic statue.

  "Ancient Will," Zhi Xuan hissed, his voice hoarse yet filled with a Devil's arrogance that refused to submit. "Do not try to oppress me with the illusions of an Ancient Heaven that has already fallen!"

  The Shabby Coffin floated in the air, emitting an increasingly wild resonance. The Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron suddenly radiated the Law of the Ancient Heavens, as if both artifacts were welcoming a grand homecoming, but on the other hand, the Six-Winged Statue remained silent.

  Ao Sheng, now protected by the Four-Directional Blood Shield, managed to stand up. He stared at the Statue radiating the pressure of death, then turned to look at Zhi Xuan who was challenging it. He felt the truth in Zhi Xuan's words. This man would never bow, even to an existence that transcended all the realms he knew.

  "Senior, what is this?" Ao Sheng whispered, his voice containing a mixture of fear and deep curiosity.

  "Origins," Zhi Xuan replied coldly, his eyes staring sharply at the Six-Winged Statue. He stepped forward, the Sea-Breaking Thunder Sword following him. "That Cauldron and the Shabby Coffin previously originated from here."

  Zhi Xuan raised his hand, and a thick Law of Devil Blood enveloped the Sea-Breaking Thunder Sword. He did not intend to attack the Statue, but he intended to challenge that Ancient Will so that the Statue would react and give him answers.

  "You resonate with my Artifacts," Zhi Xuan roared, his voice echoing in the magma abyss. "If you are my Ancestor, then give me an answer! If you are my enemy, then show your true Will!"

  BOOM!

  As the challenge was thrown, the Six-Winged Statue finally reacted. The Eclipse Rune on its forehead suddenly emitted an unbearable dark gray light. A towering spiritual figure emerged, and the spiritual wave from its appearance swept around the Devil Fire Abyss, causing the magma to ripple.

  "You are..." the voice of the spiritual statue did not speak in characters that Zhi Xuan recognized, but rather like characters that directly carried meaning to Zhi Xuan's Sea of Consciousness. "You are the child who carries that Nine Heavens Bead."

  Zhi Xuan frowned; he waved his hand and stored the Sea-Breaking Thunder Sword back into his body, but did not lower his guard. He looked up again to stare at the towering spiritual form, his eyes narrowing as the Statue looked deep into him.

  "Yes, I carry it; it has been inside my body since I was born," Zhi Xuan replied calmly in his Sea of Consciousness, yet his face was filled with familiarity and curiosity about why this Statue asked about it. "Why do you ask about that? And who exactly are you?"

  The Six-Winged spiritual figure let out a breath that sounded like thunder from a collapsing Heaven. The sorrowful aura radiating from its six wings felt like the burden of an inevitable Destiny.

  "I am the guardian of the Ancient Heavens that have been destroyed," the figure replied, its voice now feeling like a vibration from the depths of Zhi Xuan's soul. "You carry the Nine Heavens Bead that sealed many Ancient Beings after the Forbidden Realm destroyed the Nine Heavens. One of the first is that Sacred Ancient Devil who is the Nine-Tailed Darkness Fox."

  Zhi Xuan fell silent. That name, the Sacred Ancient Devil and the Nine-Tailed Darkness Fox, pierced directly to the core of his consciousness. He knew who was meant, Ruo Xianxue, who all this time had risen with the Ancient Devil Monument and was now a figure with the dual pupils of the Sun and Moon.

  "You know the Sacred Ancient Devil?" Zhi Xuan asked in his Sea of Consciousness, his tone filled with cold shock. He turned to see the Cauldron and the Shabby Coffin floating; both artifacts were vibrating violently in the presence of this Six-Winged Will.

  "I know all who were sealed by the Nine Heavens," the Six-Winged Guardian replied, its eyes etched with the Eclipse Rune staring at Zhi Xuan with immeasurable sadness. "I saw the future; you would come here carrying that Cauldron and the Shabby Coffin; those treasures are the remnants of the Ancient Heaven Clan that became your flesh and blood."

  Zhi Xuan stepped closer as curiosity spread widely within him. The future? That meant the Six-Winged Guardian before Zhi Xuan had seen the future, where even though he had been here from thousands of years ago, how could he say he saw the future and already knew that Zhi Xuan would come here one day. And the resonating Cauldron and Shabby Coffin confirmed that fact.

  "You see the future?" Zhi Xuan murmured; he sealed his voice and provided a spiritual shield so that Ao Sheng would not hear this conversation, especially since the characters used were very ancient. "That, how could you see the future? Even beings like you who see the future could not survive the destruction of the Nine Heavens?"

  The Six-Winged Guardian shifted its gaze, now staring at the bluish-white magma sea below. "The destruction of the Nine Heavens could never be imagined with words alone. The Nine Ancient Clans living in this Era were once just a grain of dust."

  "Formerly, there were only three Ancient Clans. The Ancient Devil Clan was the Clan under the rule of the Nine-Tailed Darkness Fox," the Six-Winged Guardian continued. "The Ancient God Clan was the Clan under the rule of the Ancient Emperors. Then, the Ancient Heaven Clan, where the Heaven was not the Sun or the Moon, but an Eternal Eclipse."

  The Six-Winged Guardian looked back at Zhi Xuan, its sad gaze piercing through to the core of the Devil Blood. "I am the Guardian of the Ancient Heaven Clan, the Guardian of Destiny. Our task was to read the Heavenly Path. We saw the coming of the Forbidden Realm—an existence beyond mortal understanding, destined to destroy all majesty. We saw that only through total destruction would there be a new birth."

  "You are that seed. You carry the blood of the Ancient Heavens, but you also carry the dense Devil Blood from the Clan ruled by the Darkness Fox," the Guardian continued, stretching out its spiritual hand, pointing to the Six-Winged Statue behind it. "This Statue is a Legacy. It is the place where we, the Guardians of the Ancient Heavens, sealed the remnants of our Legacy, so that one day, our descendant who carries the blood of the Eclipse can return to claim that legacy."

  Zhi Xuan fell silent, drowned in the information flooding his Sea of Consciousness. He was a descendant of the Ancient Heaven Clan that had collapsed, a Clan that possessed a destiny of destruction. That explained why he always had an immeasurable sense of emptiness. However, Zhi Xuan looked up again and stared coldly.

  "I do not believe in the Ancient Heavens, the Ancient Gods, or the Ancient Devils," Zhi Xuan replied coldly, his voice dripping with cold determination. "My path belongs to no one. You need me for a Legacy? I reject it. My destiny is my own Path. I do not submit to a Legacy that would make me successful. These feet of mine do not even kneel to Gods, Devils, or the Heavens. Much less to a Guardian like you."

  The Six-Winged Guardian fell silent. The grand Ancient Will shrank for a moment, as if shocked by the brutal rejection from the youth carrying the blood of the Ancient Heaven Clan. Between the majesty of the Ancient Heavens and the madness of the Primordial Devil, Zhi Xuan had chosen his own path—a Dao that rejected all forms of restraint, including his ancestors' destiny.

  "You reject the Grand Destiny," the Guardian replied, its voice returning to a dense thundering tone, no longer sad, but filled with confusion. "Without this Legacy, you will only be a seed that will be hunted and killed by the Forbidden Realm that comes to the Nine Heavens."

  "Then let them come," Zhi Xuan decided coldly, flatly refusing to claim a legacy that he felt would burden his own destiny. "My destiny is bound by promises I have yet to keep; someone who will sit above the Nine Heavens and Hells will not be bound by the Destiny you speak of. I have enough, only with this Nine Heavens Bead."

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  That absolute rejection—the arrogance of a Five Element realm cultivator refusing an Ancient legacy in the presence of the Guardian of Destiny—created an oppressive spiritual silence. Even the bluish-white magma sea below them seemed to fall silent, as if reflecting on the stubbornness and majesty of the descendant carrying the blood of the Eclipse.

  The Six-Winged Guardian, floating high in the air, slowly bowed its towering spiritual head. That act was not based on submission, but on the acceptance of the crooked Destiny it saw within Zhi Xuan.

  "You are bold," the Guardian whispered, its voice turning soft again, but this time filled with a strange respect. "Your Will is much firmer than what we expected from a seed. Indeed, only those who reject Destiny can create a new Destiny."

  "Even though you reject the grand Legacy, these artifacts are the remnants of your own Blood. You cannot reject them." It shifted its gaze from Zhi Xuan, looking at the Cauldron and the Shabby Coffin floating before the statue.

  "You created a fine Cauldron. As another will since you reject the legacy, give that broken Sword to me."

  The Sea-Breaking Thunder Sword, the Hell Black Iron in Zhi Xuan's storage bag, immediately floated out without control; the Ancient Thunder Wood that was the core material of the Sea-Breaking Thunder Sword vibrated violently under the spiritual figure's hand. Then with a slow finger movement, a spiritual explosion occurred that shook the surroundings, as if the refining of that artifact were done with just a few finger snaps.

  From the ending explosion, the Sea-Breaking Thunder Sword was revealed, its blade now no longer broken but a Great Sword carrying the aura of Grand Lightning, as if reborn and carrying the weight of ancient refinement. The blade was dark in color, golden lightning runes snaked along the blade, and the drawing of that sword made black clouds churn above the Devil Fire Abyss, as if something that could cause a Heavenly Calamity.

  "This sword is no longer the Sea-Breaking Thunder," said the Six-Winged Guardian, moving its finger and refining the sword one last time. "This is the Heavenly Sword."

  The sword shot up into the horizon; the sword that was previously a Heaven Artifact was now experiencing a Heavenly Calamity, signifying that a Heaven-grade Artifact was stepping toward an Immortal Artifact. This refinement was a refinement using the Heavenly Calamity as a trigger for Immortal ascension, an artifact that would be equivalent to those of the great sects.

  Zhi Xuan looked up. Above the Devil Fire Abyss shrouded in blood-red mist, the sky suddenly split open. Thick black clouds churned, emitting lethal flashes of silver lightning. It was a Heavenly Calamity! A Calamity sent down not for a cultivator, but for an object.

  "A Heavenly Calamity for an Artifact?" Zhi Xuan hissed, his sapphire eyes radiating a combination of calculation and ecstasy. A Heavenly Calamity was an extremely rare phenomenon, intended only for artifacts that transcended the boundaries of Heaven and began to challenge Immortal status.

  "Your sword, made of Ancient Thunder Wood and Hell Black Iron, possesses a hidden Immortal foundation," explained the Six-Winged Guardian, its voice majestic, drowning out the roar of the Heavenly Calamity that began to thunder. "I merely released that seal. If your sword successfully survives the Nine Immortal Calamities up there, it will become a true Heavenly Sword. That is the legacy for your courage in rejecting your destiny."

  Ao Sheng, who was beside Zhi Xuan, staggered. Although protected, the pressure from this Immortal-level Heavenly Calamity far exceeded anything he had ever witnessed. He saw the Heavenly Lightning begin to strike the sword; each strike was capable of evaporating the magma sea below them.

  "Do not mind it," Zhi Xuan cut in. He stood tall, his eyes staring at the sword now fighting against the Heavenly Lightning. In his Sea of Consciousness, his own Pure Lightning Law resonated wildly with the Calamity above, as if he wanted to join in and help judge the sword. He held back that pressing ecstasy, remembering this was not something he could bear.

  The sword floated high above; each touch of Heavenly Lightning peeled away layers of mortal weakness from the Ancient Thunder Wood and Hell Black Iron, reforging the blade into pure Immortal essence. Each roar of Heavenly Thunder felt like a giant hammer forging iron, its sound piercing to the bottom of the abyss.

  Around the Devil Fire Abyss, the magma that had been churning now seemed to hold its breath. The pressure from the Immortal Heavenly Calamity created a void area in the atmosphere, sucking in the spiritual essence around it and concentrating it on the sword.

  The green Devil Fire at the bottom of the abyss emitted a paler light, as if they were terrified of the Heavenly Lightning, which was Nature's purest judgment. The Six-Winged Statue now stood as a silent witness, its majestic will protecting the area around Zhi Xuan from the harshest shockwaves of the Calamity.

  Thousands of meters above the Devil Fire Abyss, a Shi Clan Auction Caravan—a convoy consisting of several Luxury Boats guarded by Soul Transformation and Five Element realm cultivators—suddenly stopped. They were a group that had come to hunt for rare God Herbs or Devil Artifacts that might have been thrown to the edge of the abyss. The cultivators on guard on the deck, who were usually arrogant and calm, instantly froze.

  "What... what is that?" hissed a Soul Transformation cultivator, his robes trembling. Above them, the sky that was originally shrouded in Devil mist now split open, revealing a view of Heavenly hell.

  Nine strikes of silver Lightning, Heavenly Lightning that possessed a weight of destruction exceeding all they had ever witnessed, struck a single point. The aura from that Heavenly Lightning was so pure and lethal that it destroyed all the Devil Fire essence around it.

  "This is a Heavenly Calamity!" roared an Elder from the Shi Clan, his face deathly pale. "But... this Calamity is not for a human! That is an Immortal Calamity! An Artifact is being forged toward the Immortal Grade!"

  Horror spread within the caravan. An Immortal Grade Artifact was a treasure only possessed by Great Sects that had stood for thousands of years or Old Monster who had passed away. Its appearance in the Devil Fire Abyss, which was a dumping ground for Devils and Ancient Spirits, was an anomaly that shook the cultivation world.

  "Quick! Hide the boat!" commanded the Shi Clan Elder. "We must not be under that Calamity! And we must know who triggered this Immortal refinement! If it is a lucky person, then they must be hunted!"

  In the midst of the chaos of the Shi Clan Caravan hurrying back, Zhi Xuan stared at the Six-Winged Statue, as if demanding an explanation. "You released the seal at a time like this?" Zhi Xuan asked, his tone flat.

  The Six-Winged Guardian smiled sadly. "An Immortal Artifact can only be formed under a strong Ancient Will and requires immeasurable destructive energy. This Devil Fire Abyss is the perfect furnace."

  As the Six-Winged Guardian spoke, the final Heavenly Lightning struck the sword. A golden-white light from that Lightning enveloped the Devil Fire Abyss. The sword, after enduring the Nine Immortal Calamities, floated down with a silent majesty. The Golden Lightning Runes on its blade now pulsed with majestic life. The sword landed before Zhi Xuan with a soft vibration, its dark blade radiating a pure aura of Immortal Lightning.

  "The Heavenly Sword," Zhi Xuan murmured. He reached out his hand. As his fingers touched the sword's hilt, the Pure Lightning Law in his body roared with joy. The sword was now one with his Dao, a manifestation of Destruction and Judgment.

  "Take also the rest of this Legacy," said the Six-Winged Guardian. Suddenly, the Six-Winged Statue emitted a dark gray light from the Eclipse Rune on its forehead. That light did not attack; it moved toward Zhi Xuan, enveloping the Shabby Coffin and the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron.

  "The Legacy of the Ancient Heaven Clan is not a mortal treasure," the Guardian explained. "That Legacy is the Memories and Knowledge of the Ancient Heavens. Although some are incomplete, they will help you on your cultivation path."

  The dark gray light from the Six-Winged Statue enveloped the Shabby Coffin and the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron. Both artifacts instantly vibrated and flew toward Zhi Xuan, piercing through the layer of Devil Blood enveloping him and seeping into his body. Once both artifacts entered Zhi Xuan's Sea of Consciousness, the dark gray light followed them, directly invading his Primary Soul.

  Zhi Xuan groaned softly. It was not physical pain, but a flood of ancient information tearing through his Sea of Consciousness. It felt as if millions of years of history, techniques, and spiritual maps of a long-collapsed Clan were forced into his memory. In the Sea of Consciousness, his spiritual figure was instantly enveloped by gray mist.

  The Eclipse Rune on his forehead lit up, merging with the pillar pattern of the Heavenly-Blood Body Law. His divine sense tried to sort through the Legacy of the Ancient Heaven Clan. He saw faint visions of a Heaven filled with an Eternal Eclipse, majestic winged beings, and a terrible battle against the Forbidden Realm—a conflict that brought down the Ancient Heavens, the Ancient Devil Clan, and the Ancient Gods.

  Not only that, some understanding and knowledge about Ancient Heaven techniques, how to refine weapons and herbs, and memories of places that still felt strange and faint were absorbed into Zhi Xuan's Sea of Consciousness, along with the Understanding he had gained from Ruo Xianxue. Zhi Xuan opened his eyes again, and the Eclipse pattern on his forehead closed and disappeared, leaving the pillar pattern of the Heavenly-Blood Body Law.

  He stared at the Six-Winged Guardian, which was slowly fading, returning to a silent Winged Statue. As if it no longer possessed a will because it had finished with the destiny that rejected its legacy. Zhi Xuan stared toward the Six-Winged Statue; he felt heavy but then bowed slightly, acknowledging and as a farewell.

  "Thank you," Zhi Xuan said softly; he did not know how to act seeing all this, his origins were so confusing. "Even though I fully reject the Dao of the Ancient Heavens, I am grateful for the memories and knowledge that do not entangle my destiny, but rather help my Path forward."