The Liang Village nestled between two green mountains like a forgotten pearl in a sea of forest. A stream, clear as the sky, babbled through its heart, its water known to cure fatigue and sickness. Children chased chickens while old men smoked under peach trees. Spring came early, and the blossoms clung to every branch as if reluctant to part with the sleepy warmth of this remote place.
To outsiders, this was a nameless speck in the mortal realms. To one family, it was a fleeting paradise.
"Chen'er, don't pick the plums before they ripen!" a gentle woman's voice echoed across the orchard. Lin Yue, her long black hair tied in a simple braid, stood beside a woven basket. Her skin still carried the radiant glow of high cultivation despite years spent in seclusion. She wore coarse linen like a village woman, yet no thread could hide the noble air that lingered around her like mist.
"I just want to taste them!" a boy's voice replied. Li Chen, nearly in his twenties, hung from a branch like a mischievous monkey. He dropped down, a half-ripe plum in his mouth.
"Sour! Ugh!"
"Serves you right," she chuckled, wiping the dirt from his cheek with her sleeve.
Behind them, a tall man watched silently. His arms were thick from farm work, but his gaze carried depth that defied the simple man he played. Li Kai, husband, father… and unknown to himself, the bearer of a Holy Body feared even in the Immortal Realms.
This was their life.
No sects, no battles, no gods or demons. Only sun, soil, and stolen peace.
That night, by candlelight, Lin Yue gazed into the sky from their wooden home. Stars pulsed gently, but one flickered unnaturally. Her expression dimmed.
"Li Kai," she whispered.
He came beside her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder.
"You saw it too?"
"It's a signal," she said softly. "They've found me. The Lin family… or someone stronger."
"After all these years?" He clenched his jaw.
"You severed your spirit tether."
"They never stop looking when they think their pride has been stained." Her eyes glistened. "I was meant to marry the third son of the Bai Clan. Instead, I vanished with you, gave birth to a child in the lower realms… To them, it's not just betrayal. It's humiliation."
Li Kai lowered his head, then looked at her fiercely. "Then we leave. Hide deeper."
"No. It won't work this time." She turned to face him fully.
"They've sent someone far above our realm. I can feel it in the skies. We wouldn't even see them come."
Silence swallowed the room.
Finally, he said, "Then let me come with you."
"You can't." Her voice cracked. "I wish you could. But you were sealed into this realm before birth. Your holy bloodline is too dangerous. If they find out who you are…"
She trailed off.
He took her hand. "Then let me protect you. One last time."
In the morning, Li Chen found his parents sitting by the stream.
"Chen'er," Lin Yue said softly. "Come sit."
He sat between them, confused by their heavy expressions.
Li Kai placed a small jade pendant in his hand. Cool to the touch, it shimmered faintly with golden runes. "This belonged to your grandfather," he said with a lie that almost choked him. "It's very special. If something ever happens to you, it will protect your soul. Never take it off."
"Dad, you're acting weird," Li Chen frowned. "What's going on?"
Before they could answer, the skies darkened.
Clouds spun unnaturally above Liang Village. Wind howled. A great pressure descended, forcing birds from the sky and making the children cry in fear. The villagers stumbled outside, murmuring prayers.
From the heavens, a voice echoed like thunder:
"Lin Yue. You have stained the Lin Family's honor. Your sentence awaits."
Li Chen stared up, eyes wide. "Who… what is that?"
Lin Yue stood, her body trembling. "It's time."
From the swirling clouds, a colossal golden hand descended, palm open. The sheer pressure cracked the land. Trees snapped in two. The river ran backward.
"NO!" Li Kai roared, stepping in front of her.
He clenched his fists, and for the first time in seventeen years, the seal in his blood began to crack. Gold light surged from his pores, and the air trembled around him.
"Li Kai, stop!" Lin Yue screamed. "You'll die!"
"I'd rather die than watch them take you!"
With a savage roar, Li Kai leapt into the sky and punched the massive hand with everything he had. The air exploded. The earth split.
For a moment, the hand shuddered—hesitated.
Then it crushed downward.
"FATHER!" Li Chen screamed.
The impact blasted a crater into the land. Dust and shockwaves swept across the village. When it cleared, Li Kai lay in a pool of blood, barely breathing, bones shattered.
"No… no no no…" Lin Yue fell to her knees beside him. "Why did you…"
He coughed, blood dripping from his mouth.
"Because… I love you."
She wept, cradling him. "We should have never met… never fallen in love. The heavens… they're jealous."
"You… gave me something real." He looked at her and then at their son. "Promise me… protect him."
"I swear it."
His hand trembled, reaching out to Li Chen.
"Chen'er… live… become stronger than any god… break the heavens if you must…"
Golden light pulsed from his chest. The jade pendant on Li Chen's neck began to glow, resonating.
"What's happening?!" Li Chen shouted, panicked.
Lin Yue's eyes widened. "The pendant… it's activating!"
Li Kai's body convulsed as his soul began to tear free. Instead of vanishing, the light swirled into the pendant, etching runes deep into its core. His body fell limp.
Li Kai... was dead.
But his soul... was sealed.
The great hand paused, as if in thought. Then a voice rumbled from above:
"We have no interest in the boy. Only the woman."
Lin Yue stood, tear-streaked and furious. "You think I'll return meekly after this?"
"You have no choice."
Golden chains shot from the clouds, wrapping around her limbs and dragging her into the air.
Li Chen ran forward. "Mother! No!"
She looked back one last time. "Chen'er, never forget… you are more than this realm. You are… our son."
She vanished into the sky. The clouds dispersed. The world returned to calm.
But nothing would ever be the same.
Later That Night ,The village mourned in silence. Though no one spoke of gods or holy bloodlines, everyone knew something beyond comprehension had occurred.
Li Chen knelt by his father's grave, clutching the pendant. It pulsed warmly, like a heartbeat.
"I'll find you," he whispered. "Both of you. I don't care if I have to climb through the heavens or fight gods. I'll tear apart every realm until I bring you back."
And in the pendant, something stirred.
Far above, among the stars, the heavens blinked.
Their jealousy... had only just begun.