Sword Sovereign Against The Heaven

Against the overwhelming power of that divine force, Han Zhen had been utterly destroyed. His mortal body had perished, reduced to nothing. His spiritual self, too, had nearly faded into oblivion.

Almost.

Yet fate had other plans.

In that moment of final annihilation, something had shielded him, a force unseen but undeniably real. It wrapped around his soul, cradling him, carrying him through the endless void of time and space. Even now, he could still feel it—a presence, ancient and vast, lying dormant within him. It had hidden deep within his soul, silently watching, waiting.

Waiting for the right moment to awaken.

Until now, his memories had been sealed away, locked within the farthest reaches of his mind. That presence had tried to stir many times before, yet the seals remained firm, suppressing both knowledge and power. But as he stood on the brink of death, hunted and cornered, the seal had cracked. And with it, the truth of both his past and present lives surged forth, intertwining as one.

The weight of countless memories pressed against his mind, and slowly, Han Zhen's consciousness stirred.

Then, his eyes fluttered open to a dimly lit space, swaying gently. The rhythmic creak of wooden wheels filled the silence, punctuated by the muffled sound of rain against the carriage's roof. A faint scent of herbs and damp fabric lingered in the air.

For a moment, disoriented and weak, he struggled to comprehend where he was. The last thing he remembered was collapsing into darkness.

Then he saw her.

A figure knelt beside him, her delicate hands gripping his as if afraid he would vanish again. Tears streaked her face, glistening under the lantern's glow.

Jin Shuiyue.

His heart trembled at the sight of her. Even through the haze of pain and exhaustion, he recognized her, Sunreach City's most renowned beauty, the one whose name stirred admiration and envy alike. But she was more than just a face of legend. She was a prodigy, a cultivation genius whose talent surpassed even those from the great sects.

Yet despite all her power and status, she was here. Kneeling beside him. Holding his hand as though it were the most precious thing in the world.

In the fleeting moments when his mind was still tangled between past and present, something within him softened.

"You must live, Han Zhen," she whispered, her voice breaking, raw with emotion. "How could you abandon me?"

The vulnerability in her words struck him deeper than any blade ever had.

Though Han Zhen had once lived as a venerated supreme, those days were long gone. In the eyes of Sunreach City's people, he was nothing more than a disgrace, a failure who had squandered his family.

He was a man who couldn't cultivate, who lacked the strength to defend himself, a cripple.

Mockery followed him wherever he went.

Yet, despite everything, despite his downfall, Jin Shuiyue had never turned away from him. Never once had she wavered in her loyalty. That unwavering faith made her words sting even more.

As the lingering pain in his body dulled to an ache, Han Zhen turned his gaze to her. His eyes, once burning with fury, now held only emptiness, an abyss that even she couldn't ignore.

Jin Shuiyue knelt beside him, her face streaked with tears, her breath unsteady.

"What happened?" she asked, her voice trembling. "Why did you fight with the guards? Why didn't you come to me first? Do you not trust me?"

Her words pressed against his chest. A bitter smile curled at the corner of his lips. The memories of the chase, of the accusations, of being forced to flee like a common criminal still clung to him like a suffocating fog.

"I was angry," he admitted. "They accused me of murder. Blatantly. Without hesitation. And before I could even speak, they attacked me. What was I supposed to do? Stand there and let them cut me down?"

"I don't even remember how I ended up at that crime scene. Someone set me up; this is all a trap."

As the last words left his lips, his emotions surged, his body tensed, and then pain shot through him like fire. His wounds flared, and a sharp gasp escaped his throat as he struggled for breath.

Jin Shuiyue's expression darkened. Her concern was evident in the way she hesitated, carefully pondering his words.

After a long silence, she finally spoke.

"I believe you," she said firmly. "I know you're not the kind of person who would do something like this."

She exhaled, but her voice grew more urgent. "But others won't. And time is running out. If we don't find the truth soon, the Mayor's Mansion will send you to the Demon-Sealing Burial Grounds."

Han Zhen froze. His mind reeled.

"The Demon-Sealing Burial Grounds?"

Even without cultivation, he had heard the stories. A forsaken ruin where criminals were exiled, a cursed land that devoured all who entered. It was a place where the dead vastly outnumbered the living, and those who walked in never returned.

Jin Shuiyue's face was pale, her voice grim. "The Mayor's Mansion claims they've uncovered something. They believe the Demon-Sealing Burial Grounds belong to a peerless powerhouse… Yi Lan."

Thunder seemed to crash in Han Zhen's mind.

Yi Lan.

His heart clenched at the name. Yi Lan, his maidservant, his most trusted disciple. The one he had trained with all his heart. The one who was like a daughter to him.

She had been everything to him in his past life. His pride. His greatest regret.

Had she perished?

Jin Shuiyue's voice broke through his turmoil. "Don't dwell on this now. I'll take care of everything. Right now, you need to rest."

Yi Lan…

Before he had left for his voyage beyond the great beyond, he had done everything to ensure her safety. He had made preparations and entrusted her to those he believed would protect her. Yet, something had gone terribly wrong.

What had happened to her?

Why had her name become tied to a cursed graveyard?

Just as his thoughts spiraled deeper into the unknown, the carriage jolted to a sudden stop.

"We're home," Jin Shuiyue called from outside, her voice pulling him back to the present.