The black gates of the Heavenly Demon Sect loomed like the jaws of a slumbering beast, veined with crimson light that pulsed faintly as if alive. Above them, the sky twisted with black clouds shaped like coiling dragons. Every breath Jin Valentine took here felt heavy — drenched in an aura of madness, ambition, and silent bloodlust.
He stepped forward. The mark of his betrayal still burned faintly beneath his robes — the hollow where his Dao Bone was stolen, and the faint scar over his heart where his Core Essence was ripped from him. Yet beneath the pain was something far greater.
Pride.
He no longer bowed to heaven, nor feared its wrath.
As he walked past the outer gates, a whisper brushed his mind — a memory from when he was still in Aetherion, a land of crystalline skies and silver cities. He had once been a prodigy of the Verdant Lotus Sect, mastering dual paths: Heavenly Flow Sword Art and Lotus Mirror Body, both rooted in purity and harmony. His swordsmanship was so refined that even elders called him the “White Lotus Prince.”
But purity had betrayed him.
His lover’s kiss had been poisoned with deceit. His sect brothers turned their eyes away as his Dao Bone was stolen and handed to Ren Kai. That night, the world learned that Jin Valentine had “died.” But he hadn’t.
He had awakened.
And now, his path was no longer one of purity — but defiance.
The Oath of Defiance, Elder Wu explained as he led Jin through the winding halls of black stone, was the creed of the Heavenly Demon Sect.
“Boy,” the old man drawled, sipping his wine again, his red eyes gleaming like burning coals. “You’ve stepped into a place where the heavens have no say. The strong do not kneel here; they conquer. To take the Oath of Defiance means to spit upon fate itself.”
They passed through a courtyard filled with candidates — all young, arrogant, and bloodthirsty. Jin could feel it — the tension, the greed, the hunger for survival. The Heavenly Demon Sect was not a home; it was a forge that burned away weakness.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Elder Wu stopped before a vast iron gate carved with demonic sigils. The air inside reeked of blood and fear.
“Inside,” the old man said, tipping his flask toward Jin, “lies your entrance exam. There are no rules. Only one requirement—”
He grinned, showing sharp teeth.
“Survive.”
Jin stepped through the gate.
Instantly, killing intent flooded the room. Dozens of candidates turned toward him — each radiating murderous intent. Some grinned. Others whispered.
“Isn’t that… Jin Valentine? The fallen prodigy?”
“Didn’t his lover rip out his Dao Bone?”
“He’s just another cripple. Easy kill.”
Jin’s golden eyes opened slowly — calm, regal, detached.
“Cripple?” he murmured. “You’ll see what a cripple can do.”
In a single breath, his Foundation Qi surged — vast, pure, and refined to a frightening degree. Though only in the late Foundation Stage, Jin’s Qi flowed like molten gold, heavy and suffocating. Each step he took bent the ground, and his presence devoured the aura of others nearby.
Then the System chimed in his mind.
> [Daily Quest Completed: Survive the Trial of the Demon’s Gate]
[Reward: Skill Acquired — Heavenly Overlord Art (Fragment 1)]
[Description: The sacred art of domination and supremacy, meant only for the Sect’s Patriarch and his heirs. You, Jin Valentine, have seized it.]
Jin’s lips curved upward.
He extended his hand, and the faint image of a throne shimmered behind him — black, gold, and radiant.
The air trembled.
A candidate charged forward, roaring. Jin didn’t move. The moment the man crossed his shadow, his heart exploded from within, blood spraying like crimson rain.
The others froze.
From the edge of the courtyard, Elder Wu leaned against a pillar, still drinking. The old man chuckled, shaking his head.
“That brat…” he murmured. “He truly doesn’t bow to anyone — not even the heavens.”
Paths and Techniques
On Planet Ether, cultivation was divided into Nine Great Paths:
1. The Path of Qi
2. The Path of Body
3. The Path of Soul
4. The Path of Dao
5. The Path of Heaven
6. The Path of Demon
7. The Path of Spirit
8. The Path of Void
9. The Path of Origin — a forgotten path only whispered in legend.
Before his fall, Jin walked the Heavenly Path of Qi, cultivating purity and serenity. Now, his System allowed him to merge techniques — Heavenly Flow Sword Art + Lotus Mirror Body = The Mirrorless Heaven Slash, a technique that erased reflections of one’s existence — both physical and spiritual.
And with the Heavenly Overlord Art now awakening within him, Jin Valentine had become something new — something the heavens themselves might come to fear.
A Defiant Demon, walking toward his throne.
