Chapter: 1
In the year 7840 of the Tianyu Continent, the War of the Nine Nations erupted.
After more than a decade of fighting, four nations were annihilated.
The remaining five were also gravely weakened, no longer possessing the strength for conquest.
The ruling classes of the five nations finally reached a consensus, signing a treaty of non-aggression.
The continent was a scene of desolation.
Everything lay in ruin, waiting to be rebuilt.
In the year 7878, more than twenty years had passed since the War of the Nine Nations.
The remaining five kingdoms—Qingfeng, Baiyue, Hantang, Wushuang, and Xinming—had spent years recovering and had now regained their former strength.
The continent, once in ruins, was now flourishing.
It was a prosperous era of peace and celebration.
Longevity Valley was located within the borders of the Hantang Empire.
All year round, the valley was lush and vibrant, teeming with life.
There was an ancient legend about this place.
It was said that in ancient times, Longevity Valley was home to a peerless Demon Lord.
With his transcendent martial prowess, this lord roamed the continent, towering over his contemporaries and finding no worthy rival.
For reasons unknown, the Demon Lord angered an immortal, and a great battle between them erupted within the valley.
The Demon Lord lived up to his reputation as a heaven-sent genius, having cultivated his mortal flesh to the realm of gods and demons.
His power was so formidable that even the immortal struggled to fend him off.
The battle raged for three days and three nights, but its outcome remained unknown.
A long time passed before the residents from outside the valley dared to enter.
They were met with a scene of utter devastation.
The ground was littered with broken branches and withered leaves, and beast bones were piled as high as mountains.
For decades afterward, not a single blade of grass grew in the valley.
It was devoid of life, a place of deathly silence.
Nearly a century passed before life slowly returned to the valley.
Once again, Longevity Valley became the lush, vibrant place it had been, green throughout the seasons.
Even so, no one was willing to set foot in the valley again.
But these were, after all, just ancient legends, gradually forgotten with the passage of time.
In the year 7878, Longevity Valley welcomed rare visitors.
A family of four moved into the valley to live.
One night, three months later, the young woman of Longevity Valley went into labor.
Pained groans echoed intermittently from a thatched hut, mingled with the encouraging and comforting words of an older woman.
A young man paced back and forth outside the hut, his face etched with anxiety.
Nearby, an older man in his fifties sat quietly on a chair in the courtyard, his expression one of indescribable calm.
"Yanzhi, stop pacing."
"Don't worry, everything will be fine."
"When your mother was giving birth to you, I wasn't nearly as flustered."
"I set up a table with wine and food in the courtyard, drinking alone while 'awaiting the good news'."
The young man stopped and chuckled.
"No wonder Mother always scolds you whenever she talks about the past."
Just then, a loud, clear cry pierced the tranquility of the night sky.
"The baby's born! The baby's born!"
The young man was so happy he nearly jumped for joy, turning to rush into the hut.
But in that very moment, a strange phenomenon occurred.
A dazzling, blood-red light erupted from the small hut, instantly flooding the entire Longevity Valley.
The brilliant crimson radiance then shot straight into the sky, eclipsing the light of the stars and moon.
The young man was stunned.
The old man shot to his feet.
At the same time, across the continent, dozens of martial practitioners pursuing the ultimate realm of the martial way felt a sudden resonance, their gazes turning in unison toward Longevity Valley.
On Piercing Heaven Peak in the Wushuang Empire, a white-haired elder sat on the ground.
Behind him stood a youth brimming with heroic spirit.
The youth asked, "Master, what is that blood-red light shooting into the sky?"
The elder's eyes gleamed with a profound light as he gazed at the celestial crimson glow thousands of miles away, remarking with emotion, "It is defiance; it is rebellion."
In the Moonlight Palace of the Qingfeng Empire, an old woman murmured to herself, "The slaughter is coming."
From within the Cloud Mist Pavilion of the Xinming Empire, a whisper was heard: "A history erased."
An elder in the Baiyue Empire said, "Shattering the void to become an immortal."
Someone in the Hantang Empire said, "The War of Immortals and Demons."
Atop the summit of Cloud Mountain, a voice spoke: "Undying and indestructible."
...
...
...
After thirty seconds, the sky-piercing, blood-red light vanished as suddenly as it had appeared, leaving no trace.
The young man, as if waking from a dream, let out a cry and burst into the hut.
He saw his delicate, beautiful wife lying exhausted on the bed.
His mother—the old madam—was cooing at a cherubic little baby.
The infant wasn't crying or making a fuss, its large, bright black eyes fixed on him without blinking.
The young man cried out in excitement, "Mother, is that my child?"
"Shh, quiet down."
"Don't wake Tingting. She's just given birth and is still very weak."
The young man asked nervously, "Tingting, is she alright?"
The old madam smiled.
"She's fine. You're a father now, yet you're still so flustered."
"Now come and see your precious son. Look, isn't he adorable?"
The old madam's face was filled with doting affection.
The young man reached out, took the small infant, and couldn't resist planting a kiss on the baby's chubby little cheek.
"Mother, didn't you see that pillar of blood-red light just now?"
The old madam said, "You're talking nonsense. What blood-red light?"
"Now hurry and take the little treasure outside for your father to see."
The young man carried the baby outside and called out happily, "Father, it's a boy!"
The old man said, "Quickly, bring him into your mother's and my room."
"The night air is damp; be careful he doesn't catch a chill."
The young man and the elder entered the other thatched hut, and the old madam followed shortly after.
The baby's large, bright black eyes darted back and forth, constantly observing the three adults.
The old madam said, "Look at him, isn't he the cutest?"
"He's just been born, but he can already recognize people, and he doesn't cry or fuss."
The old man's expression was grave.
"My dear, when the baby was born just now, did anything strange happen?"
"What's gotten into you two today, father and son, saying such nonsensical things?"
The old man said, "There's something you don't know."
"Something strange happened just now."
The elder then recounted the earlier events in great detail.
The old madam listened, utterly dumbfounded.
It was a long moment before she spoke.
"Nothing like that happened in the room. I didn't see any red light at all."
The old man said, "We can't worry about that for now."
"The important thing is that both mother and child are safe and sound."
Just then, the young man suddenly cried out in alarm.
"Ah! There's blood on the baby's hands!"
The old couple hurried over to look.
The baby's hands were clenched into tiny fists, with streaks of blood seeping from between his fingers.
The old man quickly pried the infant's little fists open.
On each of his small palms was a character written in blood.
On his left palm was the character for "Defy," and on his right, the character for "Heaven."
The old man murmured to himself, "Left hand 'Defy,' right hand 'Heaven'..."
"His name is chosen for him: Baitian."
"Such audacity. Such arrogance."
"Little one, what manner of being are you, to be born clutching characters of blood?"
"Father, what are you talking about?"
"It's nothing."
"Wife, you and Yanzhi, pack our things at once."
"We must leave this place tonight."
"Old man, are you mad?"
"Tingting has just given birth, and the baby is so small!"
"How can they possibly endure the rigors of travel?"
"Mother, Father is right. We have to leave immediately."
"The strange phenomenon we just witnessed will surely draw the attention of powerful factions."
"Soon, great numbers of people will come here to investigate."
"If we stay here, our peaceful life will be over."
The old madam said, "Alright, I'll go pack."
"...Baitian... born clutching blood in his hands... a Heaven-Defying Battle Soul... a Heaven-Defying Battle Soul..."
The old man stood alone in the courtyard, gazing up at the heavens.
He muttered to himself, his voice nearly inaudible.
The next day, tranquility returned to Longevity Valley.
However, before three days had passed, it once again welcomed a large number of visitors.
