Against the Years

Heaven had set the date of his death: twenty-five.

At seventeen, Chen Changsheng shattered the lightning tribulation.

His sword broke, two ribs cracked, and half his body was charred black. He lay in a mud pit for half a stick of incense before he managed to get up.

But once he did, he did something

raised the broken blade above his head and said to the sky:

“Second strike, for myself.”

Later, he met a group of people who were also being hunted by Heaven.

They had a city buried underground, called the Tower of Defying Time.

They had a lamp called the Flame of Time, unlit for a hundred years, that burned bright for him.

And they had one rule:

Once you're in, there's no leaving. Heaven won't claim those who run, but they will.

Chen Changsheng hoisted his sword onto his shoulder:

“Run? I'm here to split the sky.”