Chapter 1: Good-for-Nothing? Great Demon God of the Heavenly Path?

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The Vast Heaven Continent.

Qing Province.

Spiritual energy permeated the air, while white mist curled through the mountains.

Mountain after mountain rose like coiling dragons and winding serpents, bearing the majesty of soaring dragons. Nestled among these peaks stood the Heaven-Connecting Immortal Sect, one of the ten greatest powers in Qing Province.

Today, the sect was festooned with lanterns and decorations.

Red silk flowers hung everywhere, and red papers bearing the character for double happiness were pasted across the walls.

The entire place radiated joy.

“Congratulations! Congratulations!”

“The marriage between Dao Child Qin Ming and Saintess Liu Ruyan is truly a momentous occasion for all of Qing Province.”

“The Heaven-Connecting Immortal Sect and the Liu Family have joined forces through marriage. With such a powerful alliance, their martial fortunes will surely flourish, and both sect and clan will prosper.”

Words of flattery flowed without end.

Every guest in attendance was a prominent figure from Qing Province.

There was no other reason for their presence than the identities of the bride and groom.

One was the Dao Child of the Heaven-Connecting Immortal Sect; the other was the Saintess of the Liu Family.

The only slight imperfection was that although the Dao Child of the Heaven-Connecting Immortal Sect possessed an innate Dao physique, he was unable to cultivate.

That, however, did not prevent Qin Ming from being hailed as the “number one genius” of Qing Province.

After all, Qin Ming himself, together with the group of ancient sect elders who doted on him, was enough to sweep aside the entire younger generation of Qing Province.

Who would dare object?

Sect Master Lin Yuan of the Heaven-Connecting Immortal Sect clasped his hands and greeted each of the invited guests in turn.

The smile on his face had never faded.

Qin Ming was not his biological son, but their bond surpassed that of flesh and blood.

“Please take your seats first. There are still several hours before the auspicious time. I’ll send someone to invite the bride and groom.”

Lin Yuan raised a finger slightly, signaling someone to summon the Dao Child.

…

Inside an antique, elegant room.

A young man dressed in black sat on the bed, staring blankly at his own hands. For a long while, he said nothing.

“Have I transmigrated?”

The young man in black was named Qin Ming. In his previous life, he had been an ordinary young man from the twenty-first century.

Near dawn, he had been passing an antique shop whose lamps were still lit. Exhausted from years of working late into the night, he had been in a daze.

By accident, he had struck his head against a bronze tripod placed by the entrance.

When he opened his eyes again, he had arrived in this fantastical world.

After digesting the memories of this body, Qin Ming learned that its original owner had also been named Qin Ming.

Compared with the overworked drudge he had been, the original Qin Ming had practically won at the starting line.

Not only was he handsome, he was also cherished by every ancient monster within the Heaven-Connecting Immortal Sect.

Moreover, he was about to marry Liu Ruyan, the greatest beauty in all of Qing Province.

He was the very definition of a winner in life.

There was only one flaw.

Although the original owner had been born with a Dao physique, he could not cultivate and had remained without the slightest cultivation base to this day.

The venerable elders of the entire Heaven-Connecting Immortal Sect had been helpless. They had invited countless renowned physicians to treat him, but nothing had changed.

Holding to the principle that if one could not cultivate, one should simply replenish the body, they had fed him all kinds of precious blood and divine medicines from childhood.

Yet none of it had produced the slightest effect.

The terrifying medicinal power contained within those heavenly treasures had vanished without a trace, like a mud cow sinking into the sea.

Still, the venerable elders refused to give up.

At regular intervals, they would feed him another precious divine medicine, continuing until he reached adulthood.

The medicines wasted over the years would have been enough to create dozens of monstrous geniuses.

Since the original owner possessed no cultivation, and had been adopted by the sect master of the Heaven-Connecting Immortal Sect, there were rumors that his biological father was merely a common river watchman of humble status.

As a result, a trace of inferiority had seeped into his character.

In the end, he had developed into a groveling sycophant, treating Liu Ruyan of the Liu Family with servility after having once been arrogant toward her.

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He had done practically everything a sycophant could do.

He had even done things no sycophant could possibly bring himself to do.

The thought made the transmigrated Qin Ming feel sick. A people-pleasing personality was truly unbearable.

He had looks. He had status. He had powerful connections.

Why insist on hanging himself from a single tree?

If he were the one in control of this body, he would never become a sycophant.

There was no need to go through with this marriage.

True love, after all, required both sides to move toward each other.

If someone kept you dangling while demanding that you give and give without end, do not mistake it for a test of love. They simply believe there is something to gain from you.

Qin Ming’s memories were still settling into place.

It was all because Liu Ruyan had once said that she admired geniuses who ventured onto the Heavenly Road, not cowardly good-for-nothings.

The original Qin Ming had therefore used the excuse of returning to his ancestral land for quiet recuperation.

In truth, he had secretly gone to participate in the Heavenly Road’s Genius War, where three thousand great provinces competed.

On the Heavenly Road, he had slaughtered his way through countless geniuses, leaving them utterly eclipsed.

In the end, he had aroused the fear of every genius along the entire road.

A secret operation known as the God Hunt had been launched.

The geniuses from every faction had abandoned their grudges and joined forces to encircle and kill him.

That day, rivers of blood had flowed, and countless monstrous talents had been cut down.

The image of the original owner wearing a ghost-faced mask had instantly become the nightmare of the geniuses from the three thousand great provinces in that generation.

He had even been given the title of Great Demon God of the Heavenly Road.

When his memories reached this point, Qin Ming furrowed his brows.

Hadn’t the original owner possessed no cultivation?

Then how had he fought on the Heavenly Road as though he had activated a cheat, nearly claiming first place?

Could his memories have been confused?

To verify his suspicion, Qin Ming hurried into the courtyard. He looked at the broad stone lock before him, then kicked it through the air.

Boom!

The divine patterns on the stone lock flashed rapidly. In the end, unable to withstand the force, they cracked apart, and the entire lock shattered into dust.

The divine patterns on the stone lock were capable of withstanding an impact of five hundred thousand kilograms.

That was already power that could only be unleashed by someone in the Soul-Establishing Realm.

The path of cultivation was divided into the Body Tempering, Meridian Condensation, Bone Sacrifice, Soul Establishing, Sea of Suffering, Divine Bridge, Grotto Heaven, Nether Communion, Ascending Heaven, Heaven Leaping, Saint Approaching, Saint, and Great Emperor realms.

Each realm contained nine levels.

It seemed that something unknowable had happened to the original owner on the Heavenly Road, awakening the potential hidden within his physical body.

Strangely, those memories were missing.

It was as though someone had forcibly erased them.

Qin Ming clenched his fist. He could sense a surging, ocean-like power stored within his flesh.

Could it be that the medicinal power of all those divine medicines fed to him since childhood had never disappeared?

Could it have been concealed within every corner of his body instead?

No wonder the original owner had never been able to cultivate.

All the energy supplied from outside had been devoured completely by his body, leaving not even a trace behind. How could his cultivation possibly grow?

“This constitution is terrifying.”

“But the laws of Heaven are balanced. Nothing can enter without anything leaving. Perhaps something is being gestated within him.”

He had merely kept his power hidden within his body, yet he had already been strong enough to sweep across the Heavenly Road and earn the title of Demon God of the Heavenly Road.

If something truly emerged from within him, would it not be even more monstrous?

Just as Qin Ming was muttering to himself, a thunderous boom erupted from his dantian.

Unconcealable golden light burst forth, and within it, he could vaguely see a great tripod swallowing and exhaling the energies of primordial yellow.

“That bronze tripod came with me when I transmigrated?”

The moment the words left his mouth, Qin Ming’s consciousness blurred. He was suddenly dragged into his dantian.

Just as he had guessed.

It was indeed that ancient bronze tripod.

Nine raised ancestral dragons were engraved upon the body of the tripod. They coiled around it, adding several traces of savage, primordial mystery.

When Qin Ming saw those nine ancestral dragons, his mind reeled.

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Nine?

When he had fainted after striking his head against the bronze tripod, he clearly remembered that it had three legs and two handles, with only three ancestral dragons coiled around its body.

Before he could think further, his vision blurred once again, and Qin Ming appeared inside the tripod’s inner space.

The sun, moon, and stars fell here, only to be annihilated.

Brilliant auroras shone across the void. The laws of Heaven were indistinct, and everything returned to primordial chaos.

Countless specks of dust floated in the distance.

Upon drawing closer, one would discover that they were not dust at all, but entire universes.

As a transmigrated man, Qin Ming was utterly dumbfounded.

…

The Liu Family.

The main hall was likewise decorated with lanterns and red silk, but beneath the festive atmosphere lurked a faint air of perfunctory compliance.

“Father, I’m unwilling to marry that good-for-nothing Qin Ming.”

A woman with a graceful figure and skin as smooth as jade sat nearby. An ethereal aura surrounded her, making her seem like someone who had stepped out of an ancient painting.

Her delicate brows were tightly drawn.

Especially when she mentioned the name Qin Ming, intense disgust flashed through her eyes.

Her throat even worked as though she were about to retch.

This woman was Liu Ruyan.

Hearing her words, Liu Xiao let out a sigh.

He knew that Qin Ming was a good-for-nothing.

But the Liu Family had long since fallen from its peak. They needed the support of the Heaven-Connecting Immortal Sect to preserve what remained of their glory.

Moreover, he had already accepted ten thousand kilograms of Immortal Origin as the betrothal gift from the Heaven-Connecting Immortal Sect.

If they broke off the engagement, would they not have to return it?

Would that not simply benefit that good-for-nothing Qin Ming?

“Elder Sister, don’t say such things in anger. After you marry him, I still want that good-for-nothing’s innate Dao bones.”

A handsome young man spoke from the side.

He was Liu Ruyan’s biological younger brother, Liu Bufan.

Although Qin Ming could not cultivate, his natural foundation was excellent.

By excavating Qin Ming’s Dao bones, Liu Bufan could continue along his own path of cultivation.

That could also be considered making use of a good-for-nothing.

Given Qin Ming’s sycophantic nature, all it would take was for Liu Ruyan to persuade him a little. They would not even need to dig out his Dao bones themselves; he would offer them willingly.

Seeing her father and younger brother take turns trying to persuade her, Liu Ruyan shook her head.

A hint of mockery appeared upon her breathtakingly beautiful face.

“That good-for-nothing is unworthy of me. The man of my dreams is Prince Ye Chen of the Divine Profound Imperial Dynasty in Central Province!”

During a trial, she had met Ye Chen, the prince of the Divine Profound Imperial Dynasty by chance.

Together, they had ventured through danger and seized opportunities.

She had witnessed his many methods and his supreme talent.

By then, she had already fallen secretly in love with him.

She had even offered herself to him.

After a passionate night together, Ye Chen had held her slender waist while his fingertips gently traced the softness of her skin.

That was a forbidden place her fiancé, Qin Ming, had never touched.

In a tender voice, he had told her that he was going to the three thousand great provinces to participate in the Heavenly Road’s Genius War.

Once he claimed first place and seized all the opportunities of the Heavenly Road, he would certainly return to marry her.

But the waiting had lasted more than half a year.

Liu Ruyan thought Ye Chen had forgotten her.

Thus, she had decided to pretend to marry Qin Ming, when in truth she hoped to force Ye Chen to reveal himself.

She could not help imagining the scene on the day of the wedding: Ye Chen would appear in overwhelming fashion, carrying the identity of the Heavenly Road’s number one genius, and forcibly take her away.

That way, she could make Qin Ming—the rustic good-for-nothing who knew only how to hide behind his elders—understand one thing.

She, Liu Ruyan, deserved a better man!

At that moment, Liu Xiao broke the silence.

“The auspicious hour is nearly here. It’s time to set out.”

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