Chapter – The Rise of the Die Family (Part 1)
The chapter begins with the legendary Die Family, a clan that had existed for more than 250 years.
During those long years, one of the Die Family's ancestors once traveled to the Upper World. While exploring a mighty kingdom, he discovered an extraordinary divine weapon whose power far surpassed anything he had ever seen.
Interested in the treasure, the ancestor calmly approached the kingdom's emperor and said,
"Your Majesty, I have taken a liking to this weapon. Would you be willing to give it to me?"
The emperor looked at him before bursting into laughter. The entire royal court joined in, mocking the visitor from the Lower World.
"A mere cultivator from the Lower World dares to ask for one of our kingdom's greatest treasures?" the emperor sneered.
"People from your world are nothing but weak insects. Even an ordinary citizen of the Upper World is stronger than all of you. Know your place before speaking to me."
The ancestor's expression instantly turned cold.
His patience had reached its limit.
Without saying another word, he raised his hand.
Slash!
A single strike of overwhelming power erupted across the heavens.
In an instant, the emperor, his royal guards, the ministers, and the entire kingdom were wiped out without leaving a single survivor.
The once-glorious kingdom disappeared from existence in a single attack.
Afterward, the ancestor calmly walked into the royal treasury, took the divine weapon for himself, and returned to the Lower World as though nothing had happened.
News of the incident spread through the Upper World like wildfire.
Every great force was shocked beyond belief.
From that day onward, the people of the Upper World began to fear the mysterious Die Family of the Lower World.
Many powerful experts could not accept such humiliation. Several ancient ancestors from the Upper World personally descended to destroy the Die Family.
However, when they arrived...
Only two ancestors of the Die Family stepped forward.
The terrifying aura released by those two alone was enough to make every invader tremble in fear.
Before a single battle even began, many of the Upper World experts had already lost the courage to fight.
Even so, the strongest forces of the Upper World refused to give up.
The Ten Great Family Alliance, composed of ten Rank-4 and Rank-5 families, united and invaded the Lower World to erase the Die Family once and for all.
This time...
Four ancestors of the Die Family slowly walked out of the clan.
The moment their overwhelming aura filled the sky, the entire alliance froze in terror.
Without exchanging a single unnecessary word...
The four ancestors attacked together.
Only one slash.
That single strike split the heavens apart and annihilated the entire Ten Great Family Alliance.
Not a single cultivator survived.
From that day on, the Die Family became a legend feared throughout both the Upper World and the Lower World.
According to the world's ranking system, Upper World families were divided into Ranks 1 through 7, with Rank 1 being the strongest.
Even the weakest Rank-7 family usually possessed around three ancient ancestors, each having cultivation comparable to Rank 6, Second Stage.
Yet even those powerful families had been effortlessly destroyed by the Die Family's ancestors.
These stories were still told everywhere in the Lower World, becoming legends passed down from generation to generation.
The scene shifted to a lively tea shop in the Lower World, where several cultivators sat together, enjoying tea while discussing the most famous topic in the continent—the Die Family.
One of them lowered his voice and said,
"Have you all heard? The Die Family is no longer just the strongest family in one country. They have already become the most powerful family on the entire continent."
Another man nodded.
"I've heard the same. Their current Family Head is Die Lun. Some people even claim that he was the one who founded the Die Family."
A third person shook his head.
"That's only a rumor. What we do know is that Die Lun was once the son of a governor. After joining the Die Family, he changed his surname to 'Die.' Since then, no one has been able to uncover his true cultivation. The Die Family has never revealed his actual strength."
At that moment, three young cultivators quietly entered the tea shop. Without attracting attention, they found a table nearby and listened to the ongoing conversation.
The young man in front was named Long Zu, an elite disciple of the Heavenly God Profound Sect. Accompanying him were his Senior Brother and Senior Sister.
The three had come to the continent after hearing rumors about the newly risen Die Family. Their mission was to investigate the clan and, if possible, invite them to join the Heavenly God Profound Sect as one of its subordinate forces.
After hearing the discussion, the Senior Brother looked at Long Zu and asked,
"Little Brother, what do you think? Is the Die Family really as powerful as the rumors claim? Could they be comparable to our Heavenly God Profound Sect?"
Long Zu smiled confidently before replying,
"I don't think so, Senior Brother. The Die Family has only risen recently. I highly doubt they possess a Level Ten cultivator. At best, they might have a few experts at Level Eight or Level Nine."
The Senior Brother nodded.
"If that's the case, then let's visit the Die Family ourselves. If they're truly talented, we can invite their entire clan to become part of our sect."
The Senior Sister smiled.
"That sounds like a good idea. I've also been curious to see just how powerful this mysterious family really is."
Without wasting another moment, the three disciples finished their tea, left the shop, and headed straight toward the Die Family.
Meanwhile, inside the Die Family...
Die Yuan stood alone on a mountain peak, his eyes closed as his Divine Sense spread across countless miles.
He had already discovered the location where a priceless Divine Treasure would soon appear.
The moment the treasure released its aura, every powerful sect, kingdom, and great family across the continent would rush toward it.
Thinking of that, a faint smile appeared on Die Yuan's face.
He had no intention of sharing.
Instead, he planned to seize the greatest treasures before anyone else could even react.