The mountain was silent.
Only the wind spoke.
Each breath Jian Wu took turned into frost, vanishing in the freezing air. The storm had passed, but the scars it left behind were everywhere, cracked ice, broken rocks, and a faint blue light still pulsing in the air, refusing to fade.
He woke with a jolt.
His body ached, his clothes were torn, and every bone in him screamed. The snow beneath him was stained faintly red. For a moment, he just lay there, staring at the pale sky through the mist.
Then he forced himself to sit up.
"Still alive," he muttered. "Guess heaven missed again."
The words came out rough, like someone else's voice. But the pain was familiar, almost comforting. Pain meant he was still here. Still breathing.
---
Far below, Frostveil Valley stretched endlessly, an ocean of white and silence. Jian Wu dragged himself to the edge of the ridge. The air was thin, biting his lungs with every inhale.
He closed his eyes, listening.
There..
Footsteps. Distant, muffled through the snow.
He turned sharply. For a brief second, he thought he saw something, movement between the dead trees. But when he blinked, it was gone.
Only the echo of his heartbeat remained.
Then, from behind him, a calm voice broke the quiet.
"You're not supposed to be here."
Jian Wu spun around, his hand already reaching for the dagger at his waist. A woman stood a few paces away, her silver hair fluttering against the wind, eyes glowing faintly amber beneath the hood of a dark cloak.
Her expression was unreadable. "You survived that fall."
"Barely," he said. "Who are you?"
She didn't answer. Instead, her gaze dropped to his chest. "That mark… it's awake."
Jian Wu glanced down. The faint blue symbol on his chest pulsed softly, in rhythm with his heartbeat.
"I don't even know what it means," he said. "But everyone keeps trying to kill me because of it. So why don't you explain?"
The woman's eyes hardened. "Because that symbol doesn't belong to mortals. It's the Heaven-Breaker Seal. A curse placed on the one who defies the divine order."
He let out a dry laugh. "Figures. Heaven really knows how to hold a grudge."
"You think this is funny?" Her tone cut through the air like glass. "That seal once destroyed half the world."
Jian Wu's smile faded. "Then maybe it's time the other half burns too."
---
The woman studied him for a long time, then spoke quietly. "You sound like him."
"Him?"
"The first bearer of the seal," she said. "The man who tried to overthrow the heavens. He failed, but his rebellion nearly ended creation."
Jian Wu frowned. "And what happened to him?"
"He won… for a while. Then he vanished."
Snow drifted between them.
For a long time, neither spoke.
Then Jian Wu stood, eyes glinting faintly in the dim light. "Maybe it's my turn."
"You don't understand what you're carrying," the woman said. "That seal will consume you. The more you use it, the more it eats your soul."
He looked down at his trembling hand. "Then I'll make sure it eats Heaven first."
---
A faint smile tugged at her lips. "You truly are reckless."
"People keep saying that," Jian Wu said. "But maybe reckless is the only way to live."
Her smile faded as she stepped closer. "You should leave Frostveil Valley. The Azure Tower has already sent scouts. They've felt the disturbance your mark caused. If they find you here.."
"They'll try to kill me," Jian Wu interrupted. "Yeah, I'm starting to see a pattern."
"You don't understand," she said again, sharper this time. "The Azure Tower isn't like the others. They serve directly under Heaven's envoys."
Jian Wu tilted his head. "Envoys?"
Her voice dropped to a whisper. "The Seraphs."
That word made something in the air shift, like the mountain itself had just flinched.
Jian Wu narrowed his eyes. "Seraphs, huh? I've heard rumors. Winged monsters that judge mortals."
"They're not monsters," she said softly. "They were once human."
His heartbeat faltered. "What did you say?"
"They were the strongest cultivators, the ones Heaven 'rewarded' by turning into immortal weapons. The moment your mark awakens, they'll come for you. And they won't stop until you're gone."
He stared at her for a moment, then said quietly, "Then I'll kill them first."
The woman sighed. "You're exactly like him."
"Who?"
"The Heaven-Breaker."
---
The snow began to fall harder. The wind howled, wrapping around them like a ghost.
When Jian Wu looked up again, she was gone. Only faint silver footprints remained in the snow, then those too vanished.
He stood alone again, staring at the mark on his chest. The pulse was faster now, stronger. The light inside it flickered like a living thing.
"Guess it's just you and me," he whispered. "Let's see how far we can go before we both burn out."
He turned toward the valley below.
---
Hours passed.
He walked without rest, guided by instinct more than sight. The storm returned with quiet vengeance, and the world around him became a blur of white and shadow.
Every few steps, he thought he heard something, breathing, footsteps, whispers.
But each time he turned, nothing was there.
Until the last time.
The air shifted.
He stopped.
Snow crunched behind him, slow, deliberate.
He didn't turn this time.
"You can stop hiding," he said flatly. "Your killing intent's too loud."
A deep voice answered, cold and metallic. "You noticed."
Jian Wu finally turned around. A man stood there, wrapped in armor of dark silver, the crest of the Azure Tower carved into his chestplate. His eyes glowed faint blue under the visor.
"So," Jian Wu said, flexing his fingers, "Heaven finally sent someone."
"I am not Heaven," the man replied. "I'm just here to erase a mistake."
Lightning crackled faintly above them, hidden by clouds. The ground trembled.
"Erase me, then," Jian Wu said quietly. "But don't miss."
---
The man's sword glowed, humming like thunder. He raised it in a single, fluid motion.
"Divine Technique: Azure Sky Severance!"
A beam of energy tore through the snowstorm, brilliant, sharp, and blinding.
Jian Wu crossed his arms, the mark on his chest erupting with light. The impact threw him back, ripping through the ground. The explosion echoed across the valley like the roar of a god.
When the smoke cleared, Jian Wu was on one knee.
The world around him shimmered with residual energy.
The knight stepped forward slowly. "Your body shouldn't have survived that."
Jian Wu spat blood and smiled. "Then maybe Heaven should aim better."
He clenched his fist. Blue veins of light snaked across his arms, the mark pulsing faster.
"Your soul will burn," the knight warned. "That seal will destroy you."
"Maybe," Jian Wu said. "But before that.."
He vanished.
A burst of energy exploded behind the knight. Jian Wu's hand slammed into the man's chestplate, shattering it like glass. The Azure armor splintered, glowing fragments scattering through the air.
The knight coughed blood, eyes wide. "What… are you?"
Jian Wu's voice was low. "Something Heaven forgot to fear."
He pushed his hand forward, light surged and the knight was gone, swallowed by the explosion.
---
When the wind settled, only silence remained.
Jian Wu staggered, his vision flickering. The light from his mark dimmed again. He fell to his knees, gasping.
Steam rose from his body. Blood dripped into the snow.
He looked up, trembling, eyes on the distant sky.
"Guess… even Heaven bleeds."
Then he collapsed.
T
he snow fell over him, slow and quiet, burying the boy who defied Heaven once more.
And far above, beyond mortal sight, a faint voice whispered through the storm.
"The seal is active. The Hunt begins."