Lord of the Celestial Throne
His fate was predetermined: fight, defend, and perish with the stars, a mere cog in the great machinery of creation. But something within him resisted this cruel fate. A seed of defiance sprouted in his heart, whispering of freedom. He sought a way to transcend the cosmic chains—to escape, to defy destiny, to seize freedom at any cost. As a mortal, he felt the agony of watching his loved ones wither and die, powerless to stop the decay of time. He wept for children, lovers, friends. As an emperor, he conquered kingdoms and wielded unimaginable power, only to be betrayed by those he trusted most, dragged from his throne, and executed in shame. As a beggar, he wandered the streets, starving and shivering under the cold gaze of uncaring gods. As a villain, he became the monster in stories told to frighten children—burning cities, drowning nations in blood, only to be hunted and killed by the heroes of those same tales. As a saint, he gave everything—his wealth, his strength, his life—to others, only to discover that gratitude was fleeting and the world did not remember the sacrifices of the righteous. But, Every failure, every death, every betrayal—they were nothing but steps on a long, infinite path. And the path had only one direction: up, through the layers of existence, through the fabric of reality itself. No prison could contain him. No curse could hold him. His heart whispered one thing to him, a truth carved into his soul:Move forward. Always forward. Because he was Li Shenrong—the Lord of the Celestial Throne.
Ghost Ridge.
Ghostly ridge, a place within the Blue Bird kingdom's territory. It was few hundred miles away from the capital, same place where the gate of the ancient ruin was found.
Just as the name suggests, Ghostly ridge is the home of countless evil spirts and spirit beasts. It could be said to be a death domain for any normal cultivator.
Usually the Ghost ridge would be desolate and empty, with occasional evil spirits howling. But now, standing inside the Ghost ridge, anyone would feel it was not the ghost ridge, instead a tourist spot.
Cultivators from all around the Sword Sea continent were gathered inside the Ghost ridge. It was even rumoured that young geniuses from other continents came here as well. Treasure of the lost era was truly tempting, just as alluring as an Emperor's treasure.
Few days later, Li Shenrong entered the Ghost ridge. This time he was alone, he asked the old Liu to stay behind.
Along the way, he saw many cultivators hovering in the air. Their unrestrained aura was astonishing, covering miles after miles. Powerful sects and clans from the north, south and middle territories were numerous. All of them camped outside the ancient ruins gate. Some hid behind in the dark, who knows what was their intention.
"Brother, are you alone here?" Suddenly a sweet voice rang beside Li Shenrong.
He glanced at the person and saw it was a young girl in coarse clothing. Her face was plain, as normal as it could be. She looked just like a village girl. Her cultivation was decent, peak physic accumulation realm.
"Yes, i am alone." Li Shenrong met her gaze and answered.
"Perfect, I don't have a partner either. If you don't mind, why don't we travel together? I heard, inside the ruin will be dangerous. So, we can look after each other in case we meet some misfortune." She spoke and looked at him expectantly.
"There are many lone cultivators out there, why me?" Li Shenrong asked curiously.
"To be honest, i think you are trustworthy. It's just a gut feeling, nothing else." She said.
Li Shenrong took a deep look at her before agreeing. He didn't mind exploring the ruin with her.
She smiled happily and started chatting nonstop which made his ears buzz. Fortunately, her voice was melodious and sweet, if not, Li Shenrong would've shoved a towel inside her mouth.
"Brother Li, are you also here to try your luck? What will you do if you are able to gain a fortune?" She asked.
"I am not here to try my luck and gain fortune. I came here for something." He replied.
Seeing that Li Shenrong had to intention to explain, she stopped inquiring.
Suddenly a group of cultivator flew over and started exerting their aura over everyone.
"Move away! Our Misty forest sect will camp here." They shouted loudly.
Hearing this, many cultivator became angry. "Why should we move away? We came here first and found this place." Someone couldn't help but shout reluctantly.
Cultivators from the Misty forest sect narrowed their eyes and exuded killing intent. A Misty forest expert pointed his finger at the one who retorted. Blood spurted immediately and a bloody hole emerged on that guy's chest. His face was full of regret and fear before death.
"Anyone else isn't convinced?" Misty forest sect experts asked in a domineering manner.
Everyone moved away hurriedly. No one wanted to die before the ancient ruin's gate opened.
Only Li Shenrong stood there unmoving. Luo Shenghua anxiously pulled Li Shenrong several times but he didn't bother to move.
"Brat, did you not hear what elder Cao said? Move away or else!" A Misty forest disciple arrogantly pointed his finger at Li Shenrong and said.
Cold sweat appeared on Luo Shenghua's pale face as she anxiously replied. "Sir, we'll move. I'll take my friend right away." And she started whispering to Li Shenrong.
"Brother Li, they are from the middle territory. Misty forest sect is a mid-level sect with a deep background. We cannot afford to provoke such powerful enemy." She said.
"Since you want to die, i will fulfil your wish." The Misty forest disciple became impatient and snorted coldly. He dashed forward swiftly, directly targeting Li Shenrong's neck. His fingers turned into razor sharp claws which exuded a mysterious black light. It could cut metals like tofu without any difficulty at all.
Li Shenrong didn't bother to waste words. He just slapped with his palm. It was fast and swift, directly crashed into the disciple's body. The disciple wanted to stop it but felt a huge force bearing down on him. His gaze turned horrified as he tried to escape but it was too late. Under this one casual slap, all the bones inside his body turned into powder. With a loud noise, his body crashed far away, destroying several large trees in the process. This commotion attracted the attention of nearby Misty forest experts and others.
Everyone turned to look at the duo and found it confusing. A peak physic foundation realm young man just killed a Misty forest sect disciple under the eyes of their elders and the crowd. It was a direct humiliation and provocation to the Misty forest sect.
"He is either tired of living or a fool." Many people looked at Li Shenrong with mockery.
"Good. Someone here is daring enough to kill my Misty forest sect disciple. State your name, which sect are you from?" An elder with powerful aura asked coldly. His eyes exuded murderous intent as he stared at Li Shenrong.
"A Heavenly King! He is a Heavenly King. This is my first time seeing a Heavenly King." Few spectators gasped in amazement. To the cultivators of the eastern territory, Heavenly King realm was far from their reach.
"Just a no name cultivator." Li Shenrong replied leisurely without any care.
"In that case, you can go die." The Misty forest sect's elder took action.
Brilliant light flashed on his palm, containing great mastery of the Dao. With one palm strike he could destroy mountains and move the sea. Every move of a Heavenly king could cause the natural laws to bent down and worship. People felt breathless under the pressure of a Heavenly King.
Luo Shenghua was scared witless. She regretted teaming up with Li Shenrong at this point. Who knew this guy was so suicidal that he would provoke such a colossal existence like Misty forest sect right from the start. Now, everything was too late. She felt like an insect trapped inside a spider web. Under this palm strike, she couldn't escape at all and could only watch as it approached.