The village streets buzzed with life. Lanterns swayed in the breeze. Merchants barked over sizzling meat and herbal incense. Children wove between stalls, their laughter trailing behind them like ribbons in the wind.

But Qing Yan moved unseen.

His tattered robes fluttered gently as he walked like a shadow through the crowd. No spell cloaked him. No illusion masked his form. He simply existed outside their awareness — unbothered, unnoticed.

Qing Yan (thinking):
Now that I’ve broken free from that cursed seal… even the wind feels different.

His boots tapped lightly against the stone.
Not from age.
Not from weakness.
But from memory.

“They called me a monster. Even after I surpassed gods, they never dared call me one of them.”

He exhaled slowly. His fingers curled into fists. His joints cracked.

“I was born of beasts. No bloodline. No divine favor. I clawed my way up the martial path with tooth, nail, and will alone. And for that… they feared me.”

“They couldn’t kill me. So they sealed me — to preserve their legacy. Their lie.”

A sharp smirk crept across his lips.

“Killing them now? No... that would be mercy.”
“I’ll crush what they built. I’ll make their heavens tremble.”

He stopped mid-step.

A polished mirror glinted in a shop window.
He caught his reflection — and grimaced.

Wrinkled skin.
Tangled beard.
Hollow cheeks.

Qing Yan:
“…Huh? This fossil is me?! What the hell happened to my beautiful face?!”

With a grunt of disgust, he launched into the sky.
The rooftops shrank below as he vanished into the clouds.

Moments Later — A Hidden Waterfall

A roaring cascade thundered in a forgotten valley between jagged cliffs.

Qing Yan landed on a smooth, flat stone beside the pool and sat cross-legged. Mist curled around him like breath.

He whispered softly.

Qing Yan:
“…Moon Mirage.”

A surge of dark Qi erupted from his core, spiraling outward like ink in water. The waterfall shuddered. The sky above dimmed.

His bones cracked. Muscles shifted. His skin glowed with raw power.
Wild. Violent. Beautiful.

An hour passed.

When the mist cleared, a new figure stood where the old man had been.

Young. Tall. Radiant.
His black hair flowed down his back. His face — sharp, regal, unreadable — glinted with faint celestial light.

He stared into the water’s reflection and smirked.

Qing Yan:
“Not bad.”

He tilted his head slightly.

Qing Yan:
“These looks might cause… problems.”

He chuckled.

Qing Yan:
“…For girls.”

His stomach growled. Loudly.

Qing Yan:
“Tch. Seriously? I just finished a body refinement technique and I’m starving already?”

He clenched his gut and groaned.

Qing Yan:
“I don’t even have money!”

Then his expression brightened — cruelly.

Qing Yan:
“…But thanks to that bar manager’s memories, I know a few ways to make some fast cash.”

He cracked his neck, then smirked wide.

Qing Yan:
“And the one that suits me best?”
“Bounty hunting.”

With a single push of his foot, he vanished into the sky.

In the Air – Moments Later

Wind howled around him as he soared across treetops and clouds.

Qing Yan (thinking):
Money and murder in a single job. How could I not love it?

He stuck out his tongue slightly, biting it in twisted delight.

Qing Yan:
“…I don’t know why, but something about me feels... different.”

He flexed his hand — energy coiled beneath his skin like coiled lightning.

Qing Yan (thinking):
I was strong before I was sealed. Strong enough to make gods sweat. But now? This feels like something else entirely.

His eyes narrowed.

Qing Yan:
Back then, I was cultivating just before the seal took hold… but when it broke — I didn’t break it. It cracked on its own.

The seal — built from the living Qi of eleven gods. Designed to strengthen as they grew.
And yet… it shattered.

He paused mid-flight, hovering in the wind.

Qing Yan (thinking):
That shouldn’t be possible.

Either… I’ve broken into a mythical realm no god has reached…

He clenched his jaw.

…or something’s happened to the gods themselves.

A smile crept across his face.

Qing Yan:
“…Either way, I’m going to find out.”

[TO BE CONTINUED]

Author’s Note

Qing Yan's hunger is rising.
Not just for food… but for answers. And blood.

Chapter 2: Face restored. Mystery grows. First spark of the new hunt.
Chapter 3: ????

What happens when the sealed start hunting the divine?
Add to Library. The sky’s next.