The storm arrived without warning.
Dark clouds swallowed the moon above the Azure Sky Mountains, turning the night sky into a suffocating ocean of black.
Wind howled across the cliffs like a mourning spirit, rattling the ancient pine trees that clung to the mountainside. Lightning tore through the clouds, illuminating the jagged terrain for brief moments before plunging everything back into darkness.
At the edge of a steep cliff stood several young cultivators wearing the blue robes of the Azure Sky Sect.
Their expressions were cold.
In front of them, lying helplessly on the wet stone ground, was a young man drenched in blood.
His name was Li Tian.
Rain fell steadily, mixing with the crimson pool spreading beneath his body.
His breathing was weak.
Every inhale felt like knives piercing his lungs.
Yet the pain in his chest was nothing compared to the heaviness crushing his heart.
He struggled to lift his head.
The faces looking down at him were familiar.
They were his fellow disciples.
Men he had trained with.
Men he had once called brothers.
Now their eyes held nothing but contempt.
One of them kicked Li Tian's side casually.
The impact made his body roll across the ground like a broken doll.
"Still alive," the disciple said with surprise.
Another laughed.
"Cockroaches always survive longer than they should."
Li Tian clenched his teeth, forcing himself to stay conscious.
The world around him spun violently.
The rain felt like needles striking his skin.
Through blurred vision he saw the person standing at the front of the group.
A tall young man with sharp eyebrows and a proud expression.
Zhao Han.
The strongest outer disciple of the Azure Sky Sect.
A genius with high-grade fire spiritual roots.
Someone destined to rise through the ranks of cultivation.
At least… that's what everyone believed.
Zhao Han slowly walked forward until he stood over Li Tian's broken body.
His boots stopped inches from Li Tian's face.
For a moment neither of them spoke.
Thunder rumbled across the mountains.
Then Zhao Han crouched down.
He grabbed Li Tian's hair and lifted his head.
Pain exploded through Li Tian's scalp.
"Do you know why you're here?" Zhao Han asked quietly.
Li Tian tried to speak, but blood filled his mouth.
He coughed violently.
"Why…?"
His voice barely escaped his lips.
Zhao Han stared at him with cold amusement.
"You really are pathetic."
He released Li Tian's hair, letting his head slam back against the stone.
Then Zhao Han reached inside his robe.
When his hand emerged, he held a piece of old parchment.
The parchment was yellowed with age.
Ancient symbols were drawn across its surface.
It was a map.
The moment Li Tian saw it, his pupils trembled.
"That's…"
His voice shook.
"Yes," Zhao Han said with a grin.
"The Ancient Tomb Map you discovered in the mission hall ruins."
Lightning flashed again.
The map glowed faintly under the storm's light.
Li Tian's chest tightened.
Three days ago he had accidentally discovered the map while completing a simple sect mission.
The markings indicated the location of an ancient cultivator's tomb hidden somewhere in the Azure Sky Mountains.
Such a discovery could change a disciple's fate.
Ancient tombs often contained:
• Lost cultivation techniques
• Spirit weapons
• Immortal pills
• Ancient inheritances
If Li Tian had reported the map to the elders, he might have finally received recognition after years of being ignored.
But before he could…
Zhao Han had found out.
Li Tian forced himself to speak.
"You… followed me."
Zhao Han chuckled.
"Of course."
"You're not stupid enough to think someone like you deserves a treasure like this, right?"
The other disciples burst into laughter.
"Seriously, Zhao Han," one of them said mockingly, "this trash thought he could keep the map."
"Maybe he thought he'd become a powerful cultivator."
Another disciple spat on the ground beside Li Tian.
"With those useless spiritual roots?"
The insults continued like poison dripping into Li Tian's ears.
He had heard these words many times before.
Since the day he joined the Azure Sky Sect five years ago.
Li Tian possessed low-grade spiritual roots.
In the cultivation world, spiritual roots determined how easily someone could absorb spiritual energy.
Most cultivators had:
• Mid-grade roots
• High-grade roots
• Or rare elemental variants
But Li Tian's roots were barely functional.
Even after five years of cultivation, he had only reached Body Tempering Level Two.
A level even newly recruited disciples could achieve within months.
To the sect…
He was nothing more than a burden.
A joke.
Zhao Han leaned closer to Li Tian.
"Do you want to know something interesting?"
His voice dropped into a whisper.
"The elders never cared about you."
"Even if you brought them this map, they would still treat you like trash."
Li Tian's fists trembled weakly.
"Then why… kill me?"
Zhao Han stood up slowly.
His expression became indifferent.
"Because if you're alive, there's always a chance someone might ask questions."
He walked toward the edge of the cliff.
The other disciples grabbed Li Tian and dragged him across the wet stone.
Sharp rocks tore into his back.
Pain shot through his entire body.
Ahead of them the mountain suddenly ended.
Beyond the cliff stretched a massive black canyon.
Its depths swallowed all light.
This place was known as the Ancient Burial Abyss.
A forbidden zone of the Azure Sky Mountains.
Legends said the abyss was created during an ancient war thousands of years ago.
Countless cultivators and demon beasts had died there.
Their bodies still remained somewhere in its depths.
No one who fell inside had ever returned.
The disciples stopped at the edge.
One of them kicked Li Tian's leg.
"You should feel honored," he said.
"You'll become part of the ancient battlefield."
Another laughed.
"Maybe some demon beast will eat him."
Zhao Han turned back toward Li Tian.
Rain soaked his robes, but he looked completely calm.
"Any last words?"
Li Tian stared at the endless darkness below.
For a moment…
A strange calm filled his heart.
So this was how his life ended.
Not in glory.
Not in revenge.
Just as a discarded piece of trash.
Slowly he spoke.
"You'll regret this."
The disciples burst into laughter again.
Zhao Han shook his head.
"You really think someone like you can make me regret anything?"
Then he placed his foot on Li Tian's chest.
The pressure forced the remaining air from Li Tian's lungs.
Zhao Han pushed forward.
Li Tian's body slid over the cliff's edge.
For a brief moment…
He was suspended between earth and sky.
Then gravity took him.
And the abyss swallowed him whole.
The moment Li Tian's body crossed the edge of the cliff, the roaring wind swallowed him.
The world flipped upside down.
Cold air slammed into his face as gravity dragged him downward at terrifying speed.
For an instant he could still see the edge of the cliff above him—small figures looking down.
Then darkness devoured everything.
The storm faded.
The sounds of thunder and rain became distant echoes.
Only the violent rush of wind remained.
Li Tian's body spun uncontrollably as he fell deeper into the abyss.
Sharp air cut into his lungs every time he tried to breathe.
His arms flailed instinctively, trying to grab something—anything.
But there was nothing.
No branches.
No rocks.
Only endless emptiness.
The Ancient Burial Abyss was far deeper than he had ever imagined.
Seconds passed.
Then minutes.
Yet the fall didn't stop.
Fear slowly crept into Li Tian's mind.
How deep was this place?
Just when despair began swallowing his thoughts, his body slammed violently against a jagged rock protruding from the canyon wall.
CRACK.
Agonizing pain exploded through his ribs.
His fall slowed slightly before he bounced off the rock and continued plummeting.
Blood sprayed into the darkness.
Li Tian's vision blurred.
Every bone in his body screamed in protest.
If he hit the ground like this…
He would certainly die.
But strangely—
The deeper he fell, the colder the air became.
An unnatural chill seeped into his bones.
The darkness around him felt… different.
Not just the absence of light.
Something ancient.
Something silent.
Almost as if the abyss itself was watching him.
Another minute passed.
Then suddenly—
THUD.
Li Tian's body crashed violently into the ground.
The impact knocked the remaining breath from his lungs.
Pain surged through every nerve in his body.
For a moment his mind went completely blank.
The world faded into darkness.
Silence
Time passed.
Li Tian didn't know how long he remained unconscious.
When awareness slowly returned, the first thing he felt was cold.
Bone-deep cold.
His body refused to move.
Every muscle trembled from exhaustion and pain.
With great effort, he forced his eyelids open.
At first he saw nothing.
Only darkness.
But gradually his vision adjusted.
And what he saw made his heart skip a beat.
Bones.
Everywhere.
The ground beneath him wasn't dirt or stone.
It was covered in bones.
Thousands of them.
White skeletons scattered across the terrain like fallen leaves.
Some were human.
Others clearly belonged to massive creatures.
Gigantic skulls with sharp fangs lay half-buried in the ground.
Broken weapons were scattered everywhere.
Ancient swords.
Spears.
Shattered armor pieces.
Rust had devoured most of them.
Yet even after centuries…
A faint aura still lingered around some of the weapons.
Li Tian struggled to lift his head.
The scene stretched endlessly in every direction.
An enormous graveyard.
The deeper parts of the abyss were illuminated by a strange dim light emanating from glowing crystals embedded in the canyon walls.
Under that eerie light, the countless skeletons looked almost alive.
A chill ran down Li Tian's spine.
"So the legends were true…"
He whispered weakly.
The Ancient Burial Abyss really was an ancient battlefield.
Thousands of years ago…
Countless cultivators must have died here.
And their corpses were never removed.
Slowly Li Tian tried to sit up.
Pain immediately shot through his body.
He gasped.
Several of his ribs were broken.
His arm hung at an unnatural angle.
Even breathing felt like torture.
Yet strangely—
He was still alive.
Falling from such a height should have killed him instantly.
But the pile of bones beneath him had softened the impact slightly.
Just enough for him to survive.
Barely.
Li Tian lay back against the skeletons, staring at the dark sky far above.
From this depth the storm looked distant.
A small circle of grey clouds.
"So this is where I die…"
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
Even if he survived the fall, there was no way out.
The canyon walls were nearly vertical.
And thousands of meters high.
No ordinary cultivator could climb them.
Especially not someone as weak as him.
His body was too injured to even stand properly.
Eventually he would bleed to death.
Or starve.
Or become food for some unknown creature living in the abyss.
His eyes slowly closed.
Fatigue began dragging him back toward unconsciousness.
But just before his mind faded—
Something strange happened.
A faint vibration passed through the ground beneath him.
At first it was so weak he thought he imagined it.
But then it happened again.
A soft metallic clatter echoed nearby.
Li Tian forced his eyes open again.
The sound came from somewhere behind him.
Slowly…
Painfully…
He turned his head.
About twenty meters away stood a large stone platform.
Half-buried under bones.
On top of it rested something unusual.
A throne.
An ancient throne carved from dark stone.
And sitting on that throne…
Was a skeleton.
Unlike the scattered bones around the battlefield, this skeleton was intact.
Its posture was upright.
One hand rested on the armrest of the throne.
The other gripped the handle of a long sword planted beside it.
Even after thousands of years, the skeleton still wore fragments of armor.
The armor was cracked and rusted.
Yet it carried a faint aura of power.
Li Tian stared at the figure.
A strange pressure filled the air around it.
Even though the skeleton was clearly dead…
It felt different.
Not like ordinary bones.
It felt like…
A king who had fallen in battle.
The sword beside the throne was unusually large.
Its blade was chipped.
But its shape was elegant.
Ancient runes faintly covered the metal.
For a moment Li Tian forgot his pain.
His instincts told him something important.
That skeleton…
Was not ordinary.
Perhaps it once belonged to a powerful cultivator.
Someone far beyond the level of the Azure Sky Sect.
But what kind of person would sit calmly on a throne in the middle of a battlefield?
Li Tian swallowed.
The eerie silence of the abyss suddenly felt heavier.
Then—
A strange voice echoed inside his mind.
[Unknown Energy Detected]
Li Tian's entire body froze.
His eyes widened.
The voice was mechanical.
Emotionless.
And it definitely did not come from the outside world.
It came from inside his head.
[Scanning Host…]
[Life Signs Critical]
[Compatible Soul Detected]
Li Tian's heartbeat accelerated.
"What… is this?"
The voice continued without answering.
[Initializing System…]
A faint blue light suddenly appeared before his eyes.
Symbols formed in the air.
Lines of glowing text slowly assembled themselves.
Li Tian stared in shock.
The glowing symbols arranged into a translucent panel.
Floating in front of him.
As if the world itself had opened a window.
Then the voice spoke once more.
[Eternal Graveyard System Activated]
The glowing panel brightened.
And words appeared across its surface.
Host Identified: Li Tian
Cultivation Level: Body Tempering – Stage 2
Condition: Critical
Special Talent: Necromancer
Li Tian's breathing stopped.
He stared at the floating screen in disbelief.
"System…?"
The word slipped from his lips instinctively.
Somewhere deep inside the abyss…
A faint wind stirred across the endless graveyard.
And the skeleton sitting on the distant throne seemed to shift slightly.
Almost as if something ancient had just awakened.
The glowing blue panel hovered silently in the air before Li Tian's eyes.
For several long seconds, he simply stared at it.
Rainwater still dripped from his hair. Blood soaked his clothes. The pain from his broken ribs throbbed with every breath.
Yet compared to the strange phenomenon in front of him, the pain almost felt distant.
The panel did not disappear.
It remained suspended in the air like a window to another world.
Li Tian slowly lifted a trembling hand and reached toward it.
His fingers passed through the glowing screen like touching mist.
But the panel reacted instantly.
The symbols shifted.
New lines of text appeared.
Host: Li Tian
Cultivation: Body Tempering – Stage 2
Life Condition: Critical
Primary Path: Necromancer
Below the information, several new options materialized.
Available Abilities:
• Soul Extraction
• Undead Summoning
• Legacy Absorption
• Graveyard Storage
Li Tian's brows furrowed.
Even in the cultivation world, he had never heard of something like this.
Cultivators relied on spiritual roots, techniques, and resources to grow stronger.
There were no "systems."
Yet the panel clearly responded to his thoughts.
When he focused on one of the abilities, its description appeared instantly.
He looked at the first one.
Soul Extraction
Allows the host to extract the lingering soul energy of slain beings.
Soul energy is required for summoning undead.
Li Tian's eyes moved to the second.
Undead Summoning
Allows the host to resurrect corpses as loyal undead servants.
The strength of the summoned creature depends on the original corpse and available soul energy.
His heartbeat began to accelerate.
If this was real…
He could raise the dead.
He looked around again at the endless field of bones surrounding him.
Thousands of corpses.
Maybe more.
If the system worked the way it described…
This entire abyss was a treasure beyond imagination.
But another thought appeared immediately after.
Was there even enough time?
His injuries were severe.
Without treatment, he might die before he could do anything.
Almost as if responding to his concern, the panel changed again.
Emergency Task Issued
Objective: Survive the Burial Abyss
Subtask: Summon your first Undead Servant
Reward: Life Energy Restoration
Li Tian blinked.
A task?
The system was guiding him.
His gaze slowly moved across the graveyard again.
Most of the skeletons scattered around him looked ordinary.
Broken.
Crushed.
Incomplete.
But his eyes soon drifted back toward the stone throne in the distance.
The skeleton sitting there.
Even from afar, it radiated a different presence.
An aura of authority.
Of power.
That corpse… was special.
Li Tian swallowed and tried to stand.
Pain immediately surged through his ribs.
"Ugh…"
His legs nearly collapsed.
But he gritted his teeth and forced himself forward.
Each step felt like walking through fire.
Broken bones ground against each other inside his body.
Yet he kept moving.
The distance between him and the throne slowly shrank.
Ten meters.
Five meters.
Three.
Finally, he stood directly before the stone platform.
Up close, the skeleton looked even more imposing.
Its bones were larger than those of a normal human.
The armor fragments still clinging to its body were engraved with ancient patterns.
Despite being rusted and cracked, they still carried a faint pressure.
The sword planted beside the throne was equally extraordinary.
Though damaged by time, its blade still reflected a faint silver light.
Runes etched into the metal glowed weakly.
Li Tian felt a chill run down his spine.
Even after thousands of years…
The weapon still contained power.
Who exactly had this person been?
Slowly, the system panel appeared again.
New text emerged.
Corpse Detected
Identity: Unknown
Title: Ancient Sword Saint – Kael
Status: Dead (3,274 years)
Peak Cultivation (Before Death): Heavenly Sovereign
Corpse Condition: Preserved
Resurrection Possibility: Available
Li Tian's pupils shrank violently.
"Heavenly… Sovereign?"
His voice trembled.
Within the Azure Sky Sect, even the Sect Master was only at the Core Formation Realm.
A Heavenly Sovereign was a legendary existence.
Someone capable of destroying entire sects with a single strike.
Someone who could stand at the peak of the mortal world.
And now…
The system claimed he could resurrect such a being.
The panel displayed another prompt.
Required Soul Energy: 10
Current Soul Energy: 10
Would you like to resurrect this corpse?
YES / NO
Li Tian hesitated.
His mind raced.
Was this truly possible?
If the resurrection failed, he might lose his only chance to survive.
But if it succeeded…
Everything would change.
His life.
His fate.
Even the way he saw the world.
He slowly clenched his fists.
What else did he have left to lose?
Above the abyss, the storm continued to rage.
Far away on the cliffs, the disciples who pushed him down had already left.
They believed he was dead.
No one would come searching for him.
No one would save him.
If he wanted to live…
He had to seize this chance.
Li Tian raised his hand.
His finger hovered over the glowing word.
YES.
Then he pressed it.
For a moment…
Nothing happened.
The abyss remained silent.
Li Tian's heart pounded loudly in his ears.
Then suddenly—
The air changed.
A deep vibration passed through the ground.
Bones scattered across the battlefield began rattling.
CLACK.
CLACK.
CLACK.
The sword beside the throne trembled violently.
A faint black mist began rising from the skeleton.
The temperature around them dropped sharply.
Cold wind swept across the graveyard.
Li Tian instinctively stepped back.
The skeleton's empty eye sockets suddenly ignited.
Blue flames burst into existence inside its skull.
CRACK.
The bones of its fingers twitched.
Then slowly—
The skeleton stood up.
Ancient armor clattered as it moved.
Its movements were slow at first.
As if waking from an extremely long sleep.
The sword lifted itself from the ground.
The skeleton gripped the weapon firmly.
An invisible pressure exploded outward from its body.
Even in his weakened state, Li Tian could feel the terrifying aura radiating from it.
This was not an ordinary undead creature.
This was a warrior who once stood at the peak of the cultivation world.
The blue flames inside the skeleton's eyes focused on Li Tian.
For a moment, the abyss fell completely silent.
Then the skeleton stepped forward.
One step.
Two steps.
Finally, it stopped before Li Tian.
And did something he never expected.
It knelt.
The tip of the ancient sword touched the ground.
The skeleton lowered its head.
A deep metallic voice echoed through the darkness.
"My lord."
At the same moment, the system panel flashed brightly.
Summon Successful
Undead General Acquired
Name: Kael
Title: Ancient Sword Saint
Rank: A-Class Undead
Li Tian stood frozen.
A Heavenly Sovereign…
A legendary Sword Saint…
Was kneeling before him.
The reality of the situation slowly sank in.
His breathing grew heavier.
A strange excitement surged through his chest.
He slowly looked across the endless graveyard again.
Thousands of corpses.
Perhaps tens of thousands.
Ancient warriors.
Demon beasts.
Unknown creatures buried beneath the bones.
The system panel appeared once more.
New Mission Issued
Build the Shadow Legion
Objective: Raise 100 Undead Servants
Reward: Necromancer Skill Unlock
Li Tian's lips slowly curved into a faint smile.
Moments ago he had been a powerless disciple waiting to die.
Now…
The dead obeyed him.
And this graveyard…
Was the beginning of an army.
Far above the abyss, lightning flashed across the stormy sky.
But deep within the darkness below—
Blue flames began appearing among the scattered bones.
One.
Then another.
And another.
The Eternal Graveyard had awakened.
And the first step of Li Tian's rise had begun.