The Starbearer’s Tale

"Why should a stone get to decide my fate, Luo Chen’s?" At thirteen, he spat at the sky, cursing the altar in Falling Star Village that had devoured 998 boys. The spit hit the ground and became a silver mycelium, growing wildly, spreading, piercing the firmament Only then did he learn that the stars filling the sky were not lights, but the heroic spirits who had fallen in battle nine thousand years ago; that the so-called Heavenly Dao was nothing more than a parasite living on the universe’s placenta; and that he himself was the "Seed of the Ruins," the one it most wanted to devour. From then on, mycelium coiled around him, and star marrow seeped into his bones. He devoured demonic beasts, spirit veins, and the laws of the Heavenly Dao, eating his way from a menial servant in the Nine Provinces to become the Lord of the Ruins. Until one day, he stood at the edge of the universe, the shattered remains of the Heavenly Dao beneath his feet, and turned to ask the girl who had followed him for three thousand chapters: "Xing Yao, should I plant the Heavenly Dao again, or... pull it out by the roots?" The girl smiled and wiped the blood from his face. "You forgot? My family has guarded the Gate of the Ruins for generations, just waiting for you to come and kick it apart."