In a once desolate mountain now crowding with furious immortals, an aged man panted as he ran for his life.
"I did it! I finally did it!"
"I've stolen from the emperor!"
"Crazy me!"
"I'm so screwed!"
The fleeing man, named Luen, is a mortal cultivator.
In the past, he was hunted down by his clan. Forced by circumstances, he took extreme measures, seeking shelter in the imperial palace as an eunuch just to save his own skin.
Later in life, he came to realize that it was a moronic decision.
There were plenty of ways to enter the imperial palace without losing his dick. Yet he was too ignorant, scammed into accepting disadvantageous conditions, which led to another, and then another.
Luen served under the Imperial Family for many years, feeling miserable.
But amidst the darkness, he saw a spark.
It saw an opportunity.
A crazy opportunity.
The Imperial Palace had not been kind to him, treating him like a pushover.
He had no love for that house of villains.
So, he did it.
He took it.
He stole the Divine Emperor's treasures!
'What was I thinking?!'
Was he even thinking?
At that time, it was like a trance. When he came to, he was already on the run.
It was like he was possessed by greed, moving upon instinct.
'Ah, if only I could turn back time.'
Then maybe things wouldn't have gone this way.
He wouldn't have become such a wanted criminal.
"Catch! Catch the thief!"
"Catch him!"
As a myriad of voices echoed, piercing through the clouds, Luen's face turned ashen.
"This aura… immortals?!"
There were dozens of them.
'Dammit! Is the emperor a beggar?! I just stole a few treasures! Is it truly worth mobilizing immortals, and so many, just to catch me?!'
Luen felt like crying.
This matchup was truly unfair!
But of course, he didn't. It would have just been a waste of time. He knew it was pointless. Crying doesn't solve predicaments, especially the ones he was facing.
Otherwise, he would've just cried his way to success.
Yet here he was, a criminal—a thief, fleeing from authorities.
Instead of tears, he has treasures.
Because they are the ones that can give him closure.
Immortal Treasure — Profound Hidden Cloud!
Immortal Treasure — Void Traversing Talisman!
"Insolent mortal, where are you?!"
"Surrender yourself!"
"Quickly! Find the traitor!"
The immortals searched and searched, but found nothing.
Luen has simply disappeared.
***
Imperial Palace.
Within the vast hall, the Divine Emperor sat on his throne. His eyes shone with profound light, revealing everything under the heavens.
The emperor watched the scene from above as dozens of his immortal subordinates flew throughout the world, searching for a single mortal, only to barely find traces of the criminal's passage.
Eventually, the emperor slammed the armrest of his throne. The grand hall was desolate, nearly empty, leaving the emperor alone and unguarded. Away from prying eyes, he did not bother hiding his searing temper.
"Fools! Couldn't even catch a single mortal! Are they really immortals?!" The Divine Emperor spoke harshly, his expression fierce.
The stolen treasures were the main contributor to these countless failures. But that was something the emperor had already accounted for. It was precisely for that reason that he had deployed numerous immortals just to capture that one mortal.
Others would have thought it overkill, but the emperor was simply being decisive, acting upon insight, having foreseen some difficulty.
But what is happening?
This was far beyond his expectations.
How was that mortal's lowly cultivation even able to sustain the consecutive use of immortal-level treasures?!
Thoughts rapidly collided in the emperor's mind, but it simply wasn't making any sense!
'Should I just go myself?'
The Divine Emperor was hesitant.
He had sat on his throne for thousands of years, ceaselessly cultivating.
His heavy butt had long forgotten what it meant to part with the imperial cushion of his throne.
But it must be done.
Because among the stolen treasures, there is one that was especially important!
Something that a mere mortal shouldn't have even been able to touch.
"Yet, that eunuch did, somehow."
Neither an old veteran nor a renowned talent.
Just a nameless mortal.
The thief was just a random mortal.
For such a mortal to achieve such a miracle, stealing divine relics and slipping through his vast net of immortal subordinates, something else must be at play.
'Suspicious. Too suspicious!' The Divine Emperor voiced in his heart.
Just when he was about to rise from his throne.
Suddenly, the shadows resting in the vast hall stirred.
Shortly after, a dark figure emerged from behind one of the tall pillars.
Looking at the intruder, the Divine Emperor's eyes flashed in recognition.
"Divine Emperor, have you no shame, bullying a weak mortal?" Uttered the darkness.
"Is this your doing?" The Divine Emperor asked, his tone severe.
"No." The darkness flatly replied.
"Then step aside. That mortal has stolen from my imperial treasury!" The Divine Emperor roared. "This day shan't end without me claiming that thief's head!"
"Impossible! How could a mere mortal steal from you, the great Divine Emperor? Surely you're mistaken." The darkness voiced, waving a hand dismissively.
"Enough stalling! Get out of my way or die!" The Divine Emperor spoke as he rose from his throne, voicing an ultimatum with a stern look.
The darkness shook its head, slowly shedding the stygian illusion in anticipation.
"That man is only a mere mortal; divine intervention is inappropriate. Don't be unreasonable, old fool. If you push this matter any further, then I will have no choice but to stop you!"
"HAHAHAHA! What nonsense!" The Divine Emperor laughed coldly, his eyes narrowed, gleaming with purple light. "This is ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous! Since when did the Heavenly Demon turn into such a fine saint?"
The Heavenly Demon grinned.
Intentions revealed, words unneeded.
The probing has ended.
The sky simply rumbled, singing the fury of the gods.
***
In a temple made out of mystical wood, a lone figure bathed in golden light, once still like a statue, twitched slightly. Serene and divine, the figure glanced at the turbulent clouds, sensing the commotion orchestrated by his fellow empyreans.
Mystical eyes pierced through the heavenly veil, but chose not to linger, soon closing in indifference.
He was not interested in this scuffle.
***
At the edge of a rocky peak, a beautiful fairy waved a wooden sword lazily, imparting a group of youth with divine swordsmanship.
The young mortals were crying, hoping for salvation, hoping to be freed.
But would a god bother with their pleas?
The cerulean fairy simply turned her back, leaving their prayers unanswered.
The goddess gazed beyond the horizon, her sight ignoring distance, observing the commotion on the mainland.
"A thief? Stealing from the palace? How horrible!"
"But everything happens by the will of Heaven."
"So this, too, must be Heaven's will."
***
In a damp cave deep in the mountains, oblivious to the stance of the mighty gods, Luen scrambled amongst his stolen treasures.
'Something! There must be something!'
By now, with how much attention the imperial family was placing on him, even deploying immortals, his suspicion has grown into certainty.
He must have stolen a very precious treasure!
Only the emperor can command the immortals of the Imperial Palace. The fact that immortals were deployed meant that the emperor had also gotten involved.
A treasure that moved even the Divine Emperor cannot be simple!
'Void Travering Talisman, Profound Hidden Cloud, Divine Metal Essence — these immortal treasures are valuable, but not enough to move the emperor.' Luen thought as he scanned the treasures one by one.
He had only stolen thirteen items in total, so there wasn't much to investigate in the first place. It was only his low cultivation that made it difficult to study these treasures.
Then, halfway through the search, he found it.
His eyes widened, pausing at the ninth item.
"This must be it!" Luen exclaimed.
Heavenly Treasure — Book of Reverse Heaven!