Chapter 1: Omens of Heaven and Earth
The Xianyang City of Qin State in the Flame Yellow Continent.
Mount Tianjiao outside the city walls.
"I, Xiao Lingtian, was a rare talent, cultivating the Tao at the age of three and achieving the Divine Body Secret Realm's fifth layer, Spirit Realm, by eighteen. I was granted the surname Xiao by Qi Yunhou, what an honor! Who would have thought that I'd end up in such a state!"
On the cliff edge of the Tianjiao mountain range, a seventeen or eighteen-year-old youth stood with his hands behind his back, gazing up at the magnificent scenery in front of him, sighing in admiration.
The young man was extremely handsome, especially that pair of sword-like eyebrows, which seemed to have a heroic and domineering air about them. He was definitely not an ordinary person. Wearing white clothes, with his hair naturally scattered, he looked quite elegant.
Young Xiao Ling, a house servant of Qi Yunhou, the famous general who guarded Xiangyang City, was given the surname Xiao due to his exceptional innate talent.
The Xiao surname is the surname of the Marquis of Qi Yun, and in the Qi Yun Hou Fu, anyone who was granted the surname Xiao represented a high position in the Qi Yun Hou Fu. Even if they were just a household servant, they were still considered to be one level higher than others, with great power in their grasp.
Xiao Ling was three years old when he started practicing Taoism, and at the age of eighteen, he had already cultivated to the fifth level of the Divine Spirit Realm in the Secret Realm of the Divine Body. Such a cultivation speed can be called an extraordinary genius. To know that cultivating Taoism is extremely difficult every step of the way, generally speaking, those with some talent need at least twenty years or so to cultivate to the fifth level of the Divine Spirit Realm in the Secret Realm of the Divine Body.
Such a rare genius, the Qi Yun Hou Fu naturally attaches great importance to cultivation. Qi Yun Hou even regards Xiao Ling as his own son and wants him to assist him in achieving his ambitions in the future.
Unfortunately, Xiao Ling had a setback a few days ago when he was attempting to break through the sixth level of the Divine Body Secret Realm. He suffered a mental collapse and nearly lost his life. Although he managed to escape the Ghost Gate, his cultivation was destroyed in an instant. Now, he is just an ordinary person, or rather, even less than that, because he can never cultivate again.
Without his cultivation, it's hard to take a step in this world that respects strength! When the Qi Yun Hou Fu found out that Xiao Ling's cultivation was destroyed overnight, from an extraordinary genius to a useless person, Qi Yun Hou was furious, and many of the Qi Yun Hou Fu servants also ridiculed him.
In the Qi Yun Hou Fu, the competition is extremely fierce. Many servants are desperately trying to improve themselves in order to be granted a surname by Marquis Qi Yun and obtain higher status and privileges.
Now, Xiao Ling, who was once in power, has fallen, giving them a great opportunity, and they will not let it go easily.
Xiao Ling was also very clear about his situation, and now he had also heard that Qi Yun Hou was preparing to revoke his Xiao surname at the family meeting, demoting him to an ordinary house servant or even a slave!
That's the rule of this world, cruel and without a shred of emotion! The former genius fell to such a state, Xiao Ling was also powerless, could only stand on the cliff edge and sigh all day.
"Am I, Xiao Ling, destined to become the most despicable slave? Why is heaven playing tricks on me!" Xiao Ling's sword-like eyebrows suddenly knitted together, pointing at the sky in anger: "Heaven, you made me! Why do you want to destroy me now? If one day I, Xiao Ling, can roam freely under the sky, I will definitely destroy this heaven!"
Xiao Ling's angry voice echoed through the mountains and drifted towards the endless sky!
Rumble!
At this moment, a bolt of lightning suddenly struck down and landed on an ancient tree just five meters away from Xiao Ling.
That ancient tree had been growing for hundreds of years, and it took ten people to encircle it with their arms. But in an instant, under a clear sky, this giant ancient tree was reduced to charcoal by a bolt of lightning!
Xiao Ling was startled by this sudden scene, if it had struck him, he would have been left with no bones intact.
However, Xiao Ling's eyes suddenly turned sharp and fierce, emitting a thread of anger, and he roared at the sky: "Heaven, you want me to die, but I will live well! One day, I will become the master of heaven and earth, and control your life and death!"
Xiao Ling points to the sky, spirited and vigorous!
Nowadays, he is a useless person, but even so, Xiao Ling still cannot bear to be like this. In his heart, he still thinks that he is a person with great luck, and the current situation is just a small setback in his growth!
Rumble!
The heavens seemed to be competing with Xiao Ling's momentum, and the sky was suddenly filled with thunderclaps, one after another, striking fear into everyone's hearts!
In the midst of rumbling thunder, the sky was suddenly covered with a thick layer of dark clouds, which were so heavy and foreboding that it seemed as if the heavens themselves were about to collapse.
"What's going on?" Xiao Ling was extremely shocked. "Could it be that the heavens are truly angry with me and want to destroy me, Xiao Ling?!"
Just as Xiao Ling was thinking, flashes of lightning burst out, tearing apart the dark and gloomy black clouds, as if a group of demons were dancing wildly, shocking people's eyes!
Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!
Bolts of lightning struck the mountain, and wherever they landed, it instantly turned into a piece of charcoal, emitting waves of pungent smell!
The situation in the sky above the Tianjiao Mountains is getting more and more intense, Xiao Ling's face turned pale, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Rumble!
Suddenly, amidst the dark and gloomy clouds, a thunderous sound shook the sky. Immediately after, a golden light burst forth from within the clouds, splitting them apart. The golden light poured down, enveloping the area where Xiao Ling was located!
That golden light was dazzling to the eyes, Xiao Ling had already opened his eyes and couldn't see clearly what was inside the golden light!
Rumble!
The dark clouds were constantly being torn apart, and those clouds seemed to be trying to prevent the golden light from falling on the world, but under the golden light, they were powerless. The golden light poured down, and the sky seemed to have been broken!
As the black cloud gradually tore apart, golden light filled the sky. Suddenly, a golden column of light emerged from within the black cloud, like a golden waterfall, with a feeling of "flying down three thousand feet, as if it were the Milky Way falling from the nine heavens".
Rumble!
A loud rumble came, the Tianjiao mountain range seemed to have suffered a huge compression, and one of the mountains actually collapsed, burying countless lives, with no chance of survival!
And that collapsed mountain peak was exactly where Xiao Ling had been waiting.
"Is this an omen from heaven and earth?"
"What's with that golden light just now?"
What happened in the sky just now was witnessed by many people, and everyone who saw this scene turned pale. A single flash of lightning would be enough to annihilate them millions of times!
But when everything returned to normal between heaven and earth, everyone was extremely surprised by what had just happened! Such a scene, wasn't it the legendary heavenly phenomenon?
It is said that once a strange phenomenon appears in the sky and on earth, it must be that some treasure has been born, or some great personage is about to be born!
In short, once there is an unusual phenomenon in the sky and on earth, something big will definitely happen!
When everyone was in an uproar, in the grand hall of the Qi Yun Hou Fu, which many people yearned for, a middle-aged man stood at the gate of the grand hall, looking up at the direction where the heavenly phenomenon had just occurred, silent and speechless!
This middle-aged man, with piercing eyes and a hint of murderous aura! The majestic sideburns on his face make him feel as stable as a mountain!
This middle-aged man is the famous general of Qin State, Xiao Qiyun!
Xiao Qi Yun's face was also somewhat uncertain, the scene just now made him feel a tremble, it was a kind of soul tremble, extremely terrifying!
"Heaven and earth are showing strange signs! Is something big going to happen in Xunyang City? Or is there a new change in the situation on the Yanhuang continent?" Xiao Qi Yun thought to himself.
As a renowned general of his generation, he had fought countless battles and was known for his unwavering determination! However, in the face of such circumstances, even he couldn't maintain his composure.
When today's world is in chaos, heroes rise together, and numerous countries stand tall! Anyone with a bit of ambition wants to achieve great things in this chaotic world, and Xiao Qi Yun is no exception!
It is said that heroes emerge in chaotic times! Someone like Xiao Qi Yun, with great strength and control over powerful troops, will certainly not be content with living under someone else's roof, and must achieve the ultimate goal of becoming a supreme ruler!
"Among the seven powers, Qin is now the strongest, followed by Chu! And the city of Xiangyang I'm defending is also a border town between the two countries. To establish a hegemony here would be extremely difficult!"
Xiao Qi Yun sighed inwardly, he couldn't be clearer about the current situation! This was also the reason why he had been enduring in silence all along!
Tianjia Mountain Range
At this time, the Tianjiao mountain range seemed to have encountered a disaster, with a smoky smell everywhere and a scene of devastation!
That collapsed mountain has become a flat land, countless lives were buried alive!
Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!
The collapsing mountain suddenly shook, and the rocks rolled everywhere. The ground trembled more and more violently, making it almost impossible to stand upright.
Rumble!
In the middle of a mountain that had collapsed into a flat surface, there was a sudden surge, and huge boulders came tumbling down! The middle surged higher and higher, and slowly, a golden giant tripod rose from the ground, emitting dazzlingly bright golden light!
In the center of the golden tripod, a figure was floating and lying down. That figure was surprisingly Xiao Ling!
