Ancient God

Chapter 1: Awakening in the Mortal Dust

A Forgotten Dream

Darkness.

A void stretching beyond eternity, beyond reason, beyond even existence itself. In this emptiness, a soul drifted—a lone remnant of an ancient past.

For countless eons, it had no form, no memory, no will. Yet something stirred within it. A whisper, an echo from an age long buried.

"You were once a god."

Thunder rumbled in the void. A golden bead, flickering between light and shadow, floated before the soul.

"Awaken."

A sudden pull, a force stronger than fate itself, yanked the soul from the abyss.

And then—

He opened his eyes.

Rebirth in a Fallen Sect

A sharp gasp.

The young man shot up from his bed, drenched in cold sweat. His breathing was ragged, his heart hammering in his chest. For a moment, his mind was blank. Then pain flooded in—memories of a life he had never lived.

He was Jiang Chen, a disciple of the declining Azure Sky Sect.

Or at least, that was what this body’s name was.

The truth was far more terrifying.

"I... I am not Jiang Chen."

Fragments of an unfathomable past surged through his mind—visions of stars being born and devoured, of battles that shattered the heavens, of standing at the peak of existence only to fall into oblivion.

"Who... was I?"

The moment he tried to grasp the memories, his head exploded in pain. Jiang Chen clutched his skull, his vision blurring.

A cold, indifferent voice echoed within his mind.

[Host has awakened the Primordial Creation Bead.]

The moment the voice spoke, a golden light flickered in his soul. A bead, pulsing with limitless power, floated within his consciousness.

Jiang Chen's body trembled.

The Creation Bead... a divine artifact that could forge reality itself.

A relic that only one being had ever wielded.

Him.

A World That Had Forgotten Him

He staggered to his feet, his breathing heavy. Steadying himself, he took in his surroundings.

The room was small, barely large enough for a disciple’s quarters. Cracked wooden walls, a single worn-out table, and a broken sword resting in the corner.

He walked to the window and pushed it open.

Beyond, a mountain range stretched into the distance, shrouded in morning mist. The Azure Sky Sect, once a prestigious force in the cultivation world, now stood on the verge of collapse.

Jiang Chen exhaled.

"So this is where I have returned?"

The heavens had erased his existence, wiping his name from history. His enemies, those who had once feared him, had long ascended to the highest realms.

Now, he was nothing. A mere mortal, standing at the lowest point of existence.

Yet, in his soul, the Creation Bead pulsed.

A single thought formed in his mind.

"I will rise again."

He clenched his fists.

"And this time, not even Heaven will stand in my way."