Prologue

“Baa— baa— baa—” The sound of a sheep bleating echoed through the silent mountains.

Li Qiye climbed up the hillside, the night wind sharp and cold, yet he was sweating with anxiety. At thirteen years old, he scrambled up the mountain, feeling particularly lonely and eerie in the darkness that sent shivers down his spine.

Despite the terrifying night, impatience burned within him.

Coming from a peasant family, Li Qiye had lived in poverty with his parents and had been herding sheep since he was seven. His family name was Li, and he was called Li Qiye because he cried for seven days and nights after he was born.

Today, like any other day, Li Qiye was herding sheep, but on the way back in the evening, he noticed one sheep was missing, which sent him into a panic. He hurried back to the hillside to search, but despite scouring the entire area, he couldn’t find the lost sheep.

Thinking about the ruthless landlord, Zhang, who would surely punish him for losing a sheep, anxiety and restlessness consumed him.

After searching the entire hillside without any sign of the sheep, he suddenly remembered one place he hadn’t checked—the Xianmo Cave!

Looking up at the dark valley ahead, it resembled a terrifying beast, ready to devour anyone who dared to approach. In the distance, he could faintly hear the howling of wolves and ghostly cries, and as he gazed at the mystical night surrounding the Xianmo Cave, he couldn’t help but shiver.

The Xianmo Cave was infamous in the area, said to be home to a demon that devoured anyone who entered; no one had ever come out alive.

However, at this moment, the crack of Zhang’s whip echoed in Li Qiye’s ears. Losing a sheep would surely mean a merciless whipping!

With that thought, Li Qiye gritted his teeth and walked toward the Xianmo Cave, which loomed like the gaping mouth of a beast. In the blink of an eye, he vanished into the night.

“Ah—” In the chilling night, a scream erupted from within the Xianmo Cave, followed by Li Qiye’s terrified voice: “W-what do you want—ah—” Then, the scream abruptly ceased.

“Good, good, good, my immortal shadow crow is finally refined; it only lacks a soul. Today, I shall borrow yours!” After an unknown time, a deep, sinister voice echoed from within the cave.

“Flap— flap— flap—” Before long, a flurry of wingbeats sounded, and a crow-like monster flew out of the Xianmo Cave.

“Fly, fly, I need your soul to remember the burial ground, to soar over the lost lands; as long as the Nine Realms exist, I will find it!” The deep, sinister voice reverberated from within the cave.

From then on, a shadow crow soared across the skies, traversing burial grounds, entering divine cities, crossing perilous domains... unable to control its own body, it flew through the Nine Realms, enduring countless trials, living on for millions of years without dying!

As time passed and eras changed, one invincible figure after another rose, while giants fell one by one.

Gradually, it became unclear when, but a mysterious crow began to appear, a crow that had broken free from its shackles, searching for a path to master its own fate.

From the Medicine God to the Flying Immortal Emperor, then to the Blood Seal Immortal Emperor, the Mingren Immortal Emperor, the Sun-Eating Immortal Emperor, and finally the Ice Feather Immortal Emperor... culminating with the Black Dragon King.

Behind each of these invincible giants lay the shadow of a crow, a crow searching for its own destiny.

Generations of invincible giants rose, while generations of deities fell into the void, yet, over millions of years, that crow still subtly appeared in the river of time.

An unwilling crow, defying its fate, battled against the most terrifying existence in the universe, influencing the changes of grand eras throughout the millennia!