The Tianxuan Dynasty, Northern Wasteland Province, City of Ten Thousand Beasts.

"Three years... I, Xiao Lin, have finally returned!"

Xiao Lin's fists clenched tightly, his knuckles cracking as he glared at the black sword hovering ominously above the Xiao family estate.

Once the second most powerful clan in the Northern Wasteland, the Xiao family had flourished too rapidly—drawing the ire of the region's ruling Bai family. In a single night, the Xiao clan's elite warriors were slaughtered without mercy.

But the Bai family didn't stop there. They hung the infamous "Doomblade" over the Xiao estate—a cursed sword said to gather the world's misfortune. Under its shadow, the Xiao family was plagued by relentless calamity. Every newborn child had their martial veins sealed by the blade's dark power, rendering them incapable of cultivation. The clan's hope of resurgence was crushed before it could even take root.

"That poor girl from the Xiao family..."

"To break the Doomblade's curse, they're sacrificing her—draining her blood for seven days straight until there's nothing left!"

"Today's the sixth day... I doubt she'll survive."

The murmurs snapped Xiao Lin back to reality.

"A blood sacrifice... to lift the Doomblade's curse?"

Xiao Lin's eyes darkened with a cold glint. "The family has become more and more corrupt over the years."

"Even such vile methods are now carried out openly!"

Muttering under his breath, he strode toward the direction of the Xiao family estate.

Soon, the familiar buildings came into view.

But Xiao Lin didn’t spare them a single glance. His gaze was locked onto a ten-meter sacrificial altar standing ominously in the courtyard.

Hanging upside down from iron hooks atop the altar was a frail little girl.

Blood dripped from her deathly pale face, splattering onto the altar below, staining it a deep crimson.

"Youyou!"

The moment he recognized the child, Xiao Lin's eyes burned with fury. His blood roared in his veins, surging straight to his head.

That little girl—was none other than his younger sister, Xiao Youyou.

"Those damned monsters!"

His fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his palms, drawing blood. "Youyou is only eight years old! How could they do this to an eight-year-old child? Are they even human?!"

Before the words had fully left his lips, Xiao Lin was already charging toward the Xiao estate.

"Halt! No further!"

Before the grand mansion of the Xiao family stood two guards.

Spotting Xiao Lin charging toward them, they bellowed harshly and stepped forward to block his path.

"Get out of my way if you value your lives!"

By now, Xiao Lin was completely consumed by rage. His mind held only one thought—to rescue his younger sister, Xiao Youyou, as quickly as possible.

Anyone who dared stand in his way would pay with their life!

"Kid, do you even know where you are? How dare you—"

The guards didn’t budge, instead launching into a condescending lecture.

But before they could finish—

**Bam! Bam!**

Xiao Lin barreled into them like a raging bull.

The sickening crunch of snapping bones echoed through the air as the two men were sent flying like scarecrows, landing hard on the ground before passing out cold.

Without so much as a backward glance, Xiao Lin stormed straight toward the sacrificial altar.

"Who dares trespass into the Xiao family?!"

Xiao Lin's sudden intrusion instantly alerted the Xiao family's warriors.

Before he could reach the sacrificial platform, a dozen fighters had already surrounded him. Leading them was a young man dressed in green. His hair was tied up high, and three or four golden rings dangled from his ears, giving him a rebellious and arrogant air.

"Well, well. Xiao Lin, you're still alive?" The green-clad youth raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"You're still breathing, so why wouldn't I be?" Xiao Lin's expression darkened, his voice dripping with disdain.

"Hmph. Ten years ago, you tried to defile Ningyan, only to be caught red-handed by my father and exiled from the clan." Xiao Lang glared at him with undisguised contempt. "Who would’ve thought you’d have the nerve to show your face here again!"

"Xiao Lang, that was nothing but a setup." Xiao Lin took a deep breath, forcing down the fury boiling inside him. "I’ve returned today to expose Xiao Ningyan’s true nature and wash away the filth you’ve smeared on my name!"

A decade ago, Xiao Lin had awakened the supreme martial vein—the Sunfire Battle Constitution—so powerful that even the Heaven’s Calamity Sword could not suppress it. He had been hailed as the hope of the Xiao family’s resurgence.

That same year, Xiao Ningyan, the adopted granddaughter of the Grand Elder, was also discovered to possess a ninth-grade martial vein, marking her as a prodigy. But the Heaven’s Calamity Sword had corroded her body, leaving her plagued by icy poison, living in endless torment.

For seven long years, Xiao Lin had selflessly aided Xiao Ningyan, using his Celestial Sun Battle Physique to purge the chilling toxins from her body.

Only after this grueling period did Xiao Ningyan finally break free from the suppression of the Heaven's Calamity Sword. Yet the toll on Xiao Lin was devastating—his battle physique withered, his life hanging by a thread. Still, he harbored no regrets.

The two had long pledged their hearts to one another, vowing a lifetime together. For the one he loved, Xiao Lin would have given everything, even his life, without hesitation.

But fate proved cruel.

At a gathering of the Xiao Clan, Xiao Ningyan struck without warning, seizing his Celestial Sun Battle Physique and twisting the knife further. She accused him of attempting to violate her, turning the entire clan against him. Branded a villain, he endured scorn and humiliation before being cast out like refuse, left to rot.

Had fortune not intervened, Xiao Lin would have long since been a corpse, decaying in some forgotten ditch.

"Xiao Lin, seems you've got a death wish," Xiao Lang sneered, malice glinting in his eyes. "Perfect timing—tomorrow marks the final day of the blood sacrifice. I’ll drag you in and offer you and your sister together to the Heaven's Calamity Sword!"

A vicious smirk curled his lips. "Oh, and just so you know—I was the one who strung your sister up on that altar myself."

"Xiao Lang…" Rage, long suppressed, erupted within Xiao Lin like a volcano. "You deserve to die!"

With a furious roar, he lunged straight at Xiao Lang like an arrow.

"Hmph! It's you who's going to die today!" Xiao Lang sneered fearlessly.

Martial arts in this world were divided into seven major realms: Qi Condensation, Spirit Manifestation, Myriad Forms, Nirvana, Martial Sage, Martial Emperor, and Martial God. Each realm was further split into ten tiers.

Xiao Lang had already reached the ninth tier of Qi Condensation, wielding a formidable strength of nine hundred jin with every movement. A single punch from him could snap a tree as thick as a man's thigh.

But when their fists collided—

The impact sent Xiao Lang reeling as if struck by lightning, his face flushing crimson in an instant. His body was hurled backward through the air, blood spraying from his mouth mid-flight.

"H-how... is this possible?" Xiao Lang's eyes bulged in disbelief as he let out a hoarse, incredulous growl. "You're just a cripple with no cultivation left! How could you defeat me?"

"I owe this day to your father, Xiao Shanhe!"

Years ago, Xiao Lin had first been framed by Xiao Ningyan, then stripped of his cultivation by Xiao Shanhe and exiled from the Xiao family, enduring humiliation after humiliation.

Just as he was on the verge of collapse, an old beggar handed him a bronze pagoda.

The pagoda was tarnished with rust, its surface etched with the characters "Hao Tian." The moment Xiao Lin grasped it, the Hao Tian Pagoda suddenly erupted in a dazzling radiance, surging into his body.

Not only did it heal his grievous wounds, but it also reignited his long-dormant supreme martial vein—the Solar Battle Physique. With the Solar Battle Physique at his side, even warriors one or two minor realms above him stood no chance against Xiao Lin.

And now, Xiao Lin had reached the pinnacle of the Energy Refinement Realm—the tenth level!