Within the temple's heart, a man knelt before a pedestal that radiated faint pulses of light. His robes, embroidered with golden runes, fluttered lightly in the cold mountain winds. His face was pale, gaunt with exhaustion, yet his piercing eyes burned with a fervor that betrayed neither fear nor doubt. His name was Tian Xian, a cultivator of unparalleled might and ambition, and tonight, he sought the power to transcend mortality.
Before him rested the Eternity Core, a crystalline sphere no larger than a clenched fist. Its surface shimmered with colors that defied comprehension, each hue a fragment of the cosmos. The runes etched into its surface glowed faintly, shifting and twisting like living beings. The air around the Core was thick with an oppressive energy, as though the artifact itself were alive, watching, waiting.
Tian Xian extended his trembling hand toward the artifact. His voice, low and reverent, broke the silence. "I have sacrificed everything to reach this moment. My family, my sect, my humanity… All to claim the power promised by the legends. If this is the price for eternity, so be it."
As his fingers brushed the Core's surface, the temple trembled violently. An ethereal light erupted from the artifact, enveloping Tian Xian in its radiance. He gasped as an overwhelming surge of energy coursed through him, searing his veins and tearing through his soul. Visions flooded his mind: stars collapsing into black holes, empires rising and crumbling, the birth and death of countless realms. The knowledge and power of the Eternity Core surged into him, a torrent of infinite possibility.
And then came the voices.
They spoke in a language older than creation itself, their words a symphony of chaos and order. Tian Xian's eyes widened as he realized the truth—the Eternity Core was no mere artifact. It was a fragment of the universe's very foundation, a relic of unimaginable power… and unimaginable consequence.
"You dare to wield us?" one voice thundered, its tone a mixture of fury and awe. "You are but a fleeting spark in the endless void."
"Yet you have touched us," another voice whispered, softer yet far more menacing. "Prove your worth, mortal. Or be consumed."
Tian Xian's scream echoed through the temple as the light intensified, fracturing into tendrils that lashed out in every direction. The temple began to collapse, stone and debris falling into the abyss below. Still, he refused to release the Eternity Core. His determination burned brighter than the agony wracking his body.
But even determination has its limits.
As the artifact's power spiraled out of control, Tian Xian's body began to disintegrate, his very essence unraveling into particles of light. His final thoughts were not of regret, but of triumph. If he could not wield the Eternity Core, then no one else would.
With a final, blinding explosion, the temple and Tian Xian vanished, leaving nothing but a crater at the summit of the Sacred Peaks. The Eternity Core, however, endured. The artifact, now dormant, fell into the abyss, its light extinguished but its power intact. It would remain hidden for centuries, waiting for another to claim its secrets.
Far below the Sacred Peaks, in a quiet valley untouched by the chaos above, a young boy was born under the light of the celestial alignment. His cries echoed through the modest home as his parents, humble farmers, marveled at the faint mark that glowed on his chest. Shaped like an intricate rune, it pulsed faintly before fading into his skin.
The boy's name was Lin Xuan.
Unknown to his family, the events of this night had set his fate in motion. For the Eternity Core had chosen its next wielder, and its slumber would soon come to an end.
High above, as the celestial alignment reached its zenith, the skies darkened unnaturally. A rift appeared in the heavens, a tear in reality itself, and from it emerged a figure cloaked in shadow. The being's form was indistinct, shifting and flickering like smoke caught in a tempest. Its eyes, twin voids of endless depth, scanned the world below.
"The Core stirs," the figure intoned, its voice echoing through the mountains. "A new cycle begins. Let the trials commence."
As the rift closed, the valley returned to its tranquil state. Yet the mark on Lin Xuan's chest pulsed faintly once more, as though in response to the unseen watcher. And in the depths of the earth, the Eternity Core began to glow, its ancient power awakening from its long slumber.