The ancient bells of the Heavenly Sword Sect rang across the mountains.
Their solemn chimes echoed for hundreds of miles, announcing a day that countless cultivators had waited years to witness.
Today...
The unrivaled Sword Emperor, Jian Chen, would marry the woman he loved more than his own life.
The sect was adorned with crimson silk and golden lanterns.
Flowers bloomed across every peak.
Thousands of disciples filled the square, while influential sect masters, elders, and kings from neighboring kingdoms gathered to witness the grand ceremony.
Jian Chen stood proudly atop the Heavenly Sword Platform.
His white robes fluttered gently in the wind.
The sword hanging at his waist had slain countless enemies.
His name alone was enough to shake the Eastern Divine Domain.
Yet at this moment...
He was not the feared Sword Emperor.
He was simply a man waiting to marry the woman he loved.
His gaze rested on Lin Xue'ers.
She slowly walked toward him in a magnificent phoenix robe, her beauty eclipsing the heavens themselves.
When their eyes met, Jian Chen smiled.
A smile that carried ten years of love.
Ten years of trust.
Ten years of unwavering devotion.
"Xue'er," he whispered softly, "from today onward... no force in heaven or earth shall separate us."
She smiled back.
It was as beautiful as the first day they had met.
"I've waited a long time for this day too."
Her voice was gentle.
Gentle enough to fool the entire world.
The Sect Master raised his hand.
"Let Heaven and Earth bear witness!"
The crowd erupted into thunderous applause.
Jian Chen reached out his hand toward his bride.
But before their fingers could touch
Pfft!
A sword pierced through his heart.
Warm blood splashed across the white jade platform.
The cheers stopped.
Silence swallowed the mountain.
Jian Chen lowered his trembling gaze.
The blade...
Was held by Lin Xue'ers.
His lips quivered.
"W... why?"
His voice was barely louder than a whisper.
He searched her eyes, hoping to find guilt.
Pain.
Anything.
Instead...
He found only coldness.
She slowly withdrew her sword.
"You really are foolish, Jian Chen."
Blood poured from his chest.
He staggered backward.
"I loved you..."
"I gave you everything..."
"My cultivation techniques..."
"My treasures..."
"My trust..."
"My future..."
His voice cracked.
"What did I ever do to deserve this?"
Lin Xue'er looked at him without the slightest emotion.
"You were useful."
"Nothing more."
At that instant
A terrifying pressure descended upon the mountain.
The sky darkened.
Golden lightning danced through the clouds.
A handsome young man dressed in imperial robes descended from the heavens.
It was Long Tian, Crown Prince of the Eternal Divine Empire.
He casually wrapped an arm around Lin Xue'ers waist.
She didn't resist.
Instead...
She leaned into his embrace.
Jian Chen felt as if someone had torn his soul apart.
His breathing became ragged.
"So..."
"You..."
The Crown Prince smiled mockingly.
"Thank you, Sword Emperor."
"If not for you, Xue'er would never have obtained your cultivation resources, your rare bloodline, or your complete trust."
Lin Xue'er nodded indifferently.
"Every smile I gave you."
"Every promise."
"Every tear."
"It was all an act."
Those words struck harder than any sword.
Jian Chen's knees nearly buckled.
His memories flashed before him.
The nights they cultivated beneath the stars.
The vows they exchanged.
The dreams they shared.
Every single one...
A lie.
He looked toward his master.
The old man lowered his head.
His sworn brothers avoided his gaze.
Not one person stepped forward.
Not...
One.
Jian Chen laughed.
It was a broken laugh.
Filled with despair.
"So everyone knew..."
Silence answered him.
His heart finally shattered.
Long Tian walked forward.
"You should feel honored."
"A mere orphan was allowed to become the stepping stone for an empress."
He grabbed Jian Chen by the throat.
"You've outlived your usefulness."
With one violent throw
Jian Chen was sent flying toward the forbidden abyss.
The Heaven End Abyes.
A place from which no one had ever returned.
As he fell endlessly into the darkness, icy winds tore at his body.
He looked toward the shrinking sky.
His vision blurred with tears.
Not because he feared death.
But because the woman he loved had personally pushed him into hell.
His voice echoed through the abyss.
"Lin Xue'er..."
"If Heaven grants me another life..."
"I will return."
"I will strip away your pride."
"I will destroy everything you've built."
"I will make you experience the despair you gave me today."
"I swear..."
"Even if I must climb from the deepest depths of hell..."
"I will have my revenge."
His voice faded.
Darkness consumed everything.
...
One thousand years passed.
Empires rose and fell.
Saints turned to dust.
Legends became myths.
In the Azura Dragon Empire, within the prosperous Moonriver City, the once-glorious Jian Clan had long since declined.
Inside a dilapidated courtyard lay a young man covered in bruises.
He was also named...
Jian Chen.
Unlike the legendary Sword Emperor, this Jian Chen was infamous throughout Moonriver City.
A wastrel.
A spoiled young master.
Unable to cultivate.
Arrogant despite having no talent.
He had been beaten nearly to death after provoking the son of a powerful family.
Everyone believed he would never wake again.
Suddenly
His fingers twitched.
His eyes slowly opened.
An endless torrent of memories flooded his mind.
The useless young master's life.
His humiliation.
His loneliness.
His helplessness.
Then...
The memories of another life.
The wedding.
The betrayal.
The sword through his heart.
The endless fall.
Jian Chen slowly sat up.
His once-clouded eyes were now as sharp as divine swords.
A terrifying sword intent silently filled the room.
"So..."
"I have returned."
He clenched his fists until blood seeped from his palms.
One thousand years.
One thousand years of hatred had not faded.
Instead...
It had become part of his soul.
He looked out of the broken window toward the distant sky.
A cold smile slowly appeared on his face.
"Lin Xue'er..."
"I wonder if you've become the ruler of this world."
"It doesn't matter."
"You may have forgotten me..."
"But I have remembered every smile."
"Every lie."
"And every drop of blood."
"This life..."
"I will no longer trust anyone."
"I will walk the path of the sword alone."
"And when we meet again..."
"I won't ask why."
"I'll simply make you pay."
Outside the room, mocking voices rang out.
"The useless young master is awake!"
"Haha! That trash still isn't dead?"
Jian Chen slowly stood.
His aura was completely different from before.
The wastrel of Moonriver City had died.
The Sword Emperor...
Had returned.