In a vast world where dimensions intersect, countless races thrive, and heroes gather, twenty-seven years after the fall of the Heavenly Evil God, Lin Dong inscribed his name upon the Celestial Chart, achieving the realm of Sovereign!
The Celestial Chart shone brightly, illuminating every corner of the vast world. This radiant moment seemed to freeze in time, becoming an eternal, indelible image.
Lin Dong stood in awe of the scene. Just moments ago, he had been chatting with Xiao Yan and Mu Chen.
Everything had frozen in that instant, as if time itself could only flow around him. Then, moved by a sudden impulse, Lin Dong turned and lightly touched the Celestial Chart with his index finger.
*Crack!*
The world shattered like a mirror. Cracks spread rapidly in all directions until the entire world fragmented into countless shards of time and space...
A long river appeared beneath Lin Dong's feet, stretching endlessly into the distance. As he stared down, he realized it was composed of endless fractured scenes. Even each ripple in the water consisted of countless memories and moments—different lives, different times. In one of those fleeting images, Lin Dong even glimpsed his own past...
Before he could think further, he noticed his legs sinking into the river. A towering wave surged toward him. Despite having reached the Sovereign Realm, he couldn't break free. All he could do was let the wave—formed from endless fragments—engulf him, dragging his spiritual perception into darkness...
When Lin Dong finally forced his heavy eyelids open, he stared in disbelief.
Before him was a familiar room—simple, but tidy.
He looked down at his hands. His pupils contracted sharply.
"This…"
Staring at his small, delicate fingers, Lin Dong was filled with disbelief. He quickly examined his condition. Other than a lingering dizziness, his spiritual perception was gradually recovering—and nothing else seemed wrong.
But wait. His body was tiny—just like it had been in childhood.
"Dong'er, you're awake?"
A soft, gentle voice rang out.
"Father? Mother?" Lin Dong blinked at the man and woman entering the room.
"You lack skill but dare to fight others. You were asking for trouble." the man said with a frown.
"Father…" Lin Dong stared at the man—slender and in his late thirties or early forties, his sharp features somewhat dulled by visible injuries and a pale face.
It was Lin Xiao—his father.
And the woman was Liu Yan—his mother.
By now, Lin Dong's spiritual perception had nearly fully recovered, and everything around him became crystal clear.
"The Lin family..."
This familiar room, these familiar people… Lin Dong stood speechless as memories from the depths of his mind surged forth.
'I've returned to my childhood? But my memories are still intact... and so is my cultivation as a Sovereign.'
A tidal wave of confusion rose in his heart. The Sovereign Realm was already the pinnacle of the Great World—yet something even greater had pulled him back.
"Liu Yan, get that red ginseng for Dong'er," Lin Xiao said. "With it, his cultivation should progress more quickly. The clan competition is just half a year away. If he doesn't train harder, he'll only embarrass himself when the time comes."
Lin Dong immediately understood what time this was. He was exactly fourteen years old. Today had been a minor clan evaluation, and he'd been beaten by Lin Shan on his way back.
This incident would later become a nostalgic memory for him—but right now, not only had his body reverted to that of a teenager, even his temper had regressed, losing the calm composure he'd once possessed.
All he could think about was beating Lin Shan into a pig's head again. Otherwise, this "fond" memory would feel incomplete.
"Xiao Ge, that red ginseng is for your injuries…" Liu Yan said hurriedly.
"I'm already a cripple. No amount of medicine will change that," Lin Xiao said with a bitter smile. "From now on, I'll head into the mountains more often and try to find some spiritual herbs for Dong'er."
"Father, don't worry. Your injuries will heal. In the clan competition six months from now, I will definitely take first place!" Lin Dong declared. He no longer dwelled on how or why he had returned. Since he had, he would make sure to protect his parents and rewrite this chapter of his life with pride.
"Don't just talk big. Focus on your cultivation and keep your heart calm," Lin Xiao said sternly.
Currently, Lin Dong was only at the second level of Body Tempering, while Lin Shan was at the fourth—and Lin Shan's older brother had even reached the sixth. Claiming first place in the competition sounded like an empty boast.
Still, deep inside, Lin Xiao felt a faint warmth. Even if it was only for his sake, Lin Dong was pushing forward.
"Liu Yan, prepare the medicine for the child. My injuries are nothing. After all these years, what's the use of a single red ginseng?"
With that, Lin Xiao turned and left the room, his shoulders heavy with exhaustion.
Liu Yan watched her husband's retreating figure, carrying the weight of despair, and tears welled in her eyes. Her heart ached. Once, Lin Xiao had been the brightest genius in all of Qingyang Town...
Seeing this, Lin Dong clenched his fists.
'Father... Mother... this time, I, Lin Dong, will lead you to glory once more—and erase every past humiliation!'
"Dong'er, don't blame your father for being harsh. He's given you everything he has. You're his only hope," Liu Yan said gently.
"Dong'er understands. I will wash away every shame for Father."
"As long as you have that determination, that's enough. But like your father said, don't rush. One step at a time. I'll go prepare the red ginseng."
Liu Yan turned and left the room.
As Lin Dong watched her go, all the memories buried deep in his heart resurfaced.
'Xiao Diao, Xiao Yan… wait for me to come rescue you...'
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
At this point in time, the ancestral stone and Xiao Diao were still inside the cave—and Xiao Yan hadn't been born yet.
Then, a cold glint flashed in Lin Dong's eyes.
'Lin Clan... Lin Langtian. It's been a long time.'
And the Wang Clan—Wang Yan, and that bastard Wang Pan...
Back during the Ancient Tomb expedition, Lin Dong had been hunted down relentlessly by Wang Yan. But now, the tides would turn.
'We'll meet again at Ancient Tomb Manor.'
'Ling Qingzhu...' Lin Dong's expression softened.
Some things could be changed—but others were bound by fate. If the course of destiny shifted too far, perhaps he and Qingzhu would truly become strangers—forever missing each other.
And then there was... Ying Huanhuan.
Lin Dong sighed softly.
'That girl... but this time, it won't be you who opens the ancestral path for me.'