Part 1: The Imperial Mirage and the Price of Entry
Relin's eyes widened in sheer awe as he beheld the towering walls of the Royal City, their sheer scale radiating an ancient, imperial majesty that seemed to pierce the heavens. The city's unprecedented grandeur, combined with the dense spiritual energy (Qi) floating in the air, briefly captivated him, washing away his exhaustion. Stretching for miles, the massive ramparts were not crafted from ordinary stone; they were intricately carved with powerful arrays and glowing runes by ancient cultivators. From a distance, the structure resembled a colossal dragon coiled protectively around the empire. Every breath carried a vibrant pulse of spiritual energy that temporarily resonated with Relin's damaged meridians. For the first time in ages, a faint glimmer of hope ignited within him, whispering that the key to reclaiming his lost glory might be hidden within these very walls.
However, that fleeting sense of wonder and inner peace shattered the moment he and the Dark Lord approached the main gates.
Before they could even step forward, their path was aggressively blocked by a group of arrogant guards from the main branch of the Lin Family. The pristine sheen of their silver armor and the valuable weapons hanging from their waists made their immense influence—and their habit of abusing it—painfully obvious. Relin stepped forward calmly, offering their official Permission Letter with utmost respect. Yet, the guards didn't even bother to touch it. Their leader, a man with a hideous scar across his face, sneered contemptuously and whipped his hand, throwing the letter onto the dusty ground.
Stomping his heavy boot right over the sacred family seal, the leader spat out, "You think this piece of trash paper is enough to enter the Royal City? Access requires a toll. Simple math—hand over ten Mid-grade Spirit Stones, and you pass. If you don't have them, turn around and crawl back to whatever gutter you came from, you beggars!"
Seeing this blatant corruption, the tyrannical behavior, and the utter desecration of his family's letter, the blood in Relin's veins began to boil. This wasn't just an insult to a piece of paper; it was a direct assault on his dignity. His eyes flared a dangerous crimson, his fists clenched tightly, and a sudden, oppressive aura threatened to erupt from within him. Though his Immortal Grade Cultivation Root had been destroyed, the pride of a true warrior had not died. Every fiber of his being screamed to unleash his fury and crush these greedy, arrogant dogs into the dust right then and there.
But just as he was about to snap, the Dark Lord swiftly placed a firm hand on his shoulder. The ice-cold touch immediately sent a jolt through Relin, suppressing his rising anger. The Dark Lord's piercing gaze carried a silent, unwavering warning—"Control yourself, Relin. Revealing our strength and drawing the enemy's attention right now is reckless. We have a much larger goal ahead."
To defuse the escalating tension, the Dark Lord reluctantly reached into his hidden pouch, pulled out ten glittering Mid-grade Spirit Stones, and tossed them toward the guards. The pure, radiant light reflecting off the stones made the guards' eyes widen with greed. Snatching them out of the air, the leader let out a grotesque laugh and finally stepped aside. He jeered, "Next time you come, bring more stones, you lowlifes!"
Swallowing his burning rage, hatred, and humiliation, Relin finally stepped into the Royal City. Looking down at the ground, he made a silent vow—he would repay this insult a hundredfold. Little did he know, however, that deep within the luxury of a grand palace in this very city, the dark clouds of an old conspiracy were already gathering to strike him down once again.
Part 2: The Feast of Vipers and the Stolen Glory
While the grand palace of the Lin Family loomed magnificent and breathtaking from the outside, the web of dark conspiracies spun within its walls was profoundly deep and twisted. In a secluded, quiet room cast in dim shadows, two figures sat in opulent comfort. Despite the expensive perfumes and incense drifting through the air, the atmosphere felt toxic. They were none other than the children of the Lin Family's first wife—Hao-Lin and his sister, Shu-Lin. A cruel, almost demonic smirk played on their lips as they reminisced, taking a twisted pleasure in the memory of Relin's downfall and the brilliant conspiracy that had ruined him.
Shu-Lin slowly swirled the wine goblet resting on the expensive red sandalwood table, a mocking laugh escaping her lips. "Do you remember, brother, how flawlessly you acted the part of a loving elder brother at the grand family party back then? He was so incredibly naive and foolish. He couldn't even sense the deadly poison hidden right behind your smiling face. It still makes me laugh just thinking about it!"
Hao-Lin burst into a loud, mocking laughter, his eyes gleaming with sheer maliciousness. He slammed his goblet onto the table. "Of course! The fool actually believed I genuinely wanted the best for him, that I was proud of his unparalleled talent and success. Every time he looked up at me with those eyes full of respect, the envy inside me doubled. Then, when the party reached its peak and all the elders were distracted, I seized the moment and slipped a potent dose of Soul-Numbing Powder into his drink. It wasn't just any drug; it was a specialized poison. Within moments, he lost consciousness and collapsed onto the floor like a corpse. After that, you and your friends executed the rest of the plan perfectly!"
Shu-Lin nodded in agreement, her face a mask of vicious pride. "It was absolutely flawless. With the help of my friends, we drugged another girl and placed her in the exact room where you had left Relin unconscious. When the doors were thrown open in front of the entire family and the elite guests, the scene was staged so perfectly that it looked like Relin had committed a heinous, unforgivable sin. It was a masterpiece of theater that dragged the Lin Family's pristine honor through the mud in a single night! Everyone truly believed he had become blinded by his own arrogance and ruined the family name."
Remembering their triumphant betrayal, Hao-Lin's eyes flashed with venomous joy. "Immediately after that, Relin faced ultimate humiliation in front of everyone. The same family members who used to praise him day and night were spitting on him, looking at him with nothing but disgust. For the crime of bringing shame to the Lin Family, he was dragged straight to the darkest depths of the Dungeon. But our true goal wasn't complete yet, sister. We couldn't just stop at ruining his name and reputation. We wanted to cripple him permanently, ensuring he could never stand above us again."
Part 3: The Crimson Poison and the Broken Root
The darkness inside the room seemed to grow heavier, almost suffocating, as Shu-Lin spoke in a chillingly detached voice. "Yes. When he was chained to the wall in that damp dungeon, the sheer amount of physical and mental torture we inflicted upon him is something he won't forget even on his deathbed. Every time he screamed in agony, it sounded like music to my ears. Especially his famous Cultivation Root—which was vastly superior to ours, a pure Immortal Grade! The family spent every waking moment praising him, and neither you nor I could stand it. We could never allow him to surpass us and become the next family head."
"That is exactly why I risked my life to procure that forbidden poison from the black market," Hao-Lin added, his voice dripping with cruelty, his face resembling a monster in the shadows. "The Root-Corroding Poison! A toxin so vile that the moment it enters the bloodstream, it incinerates a person's Cultivation Root from the inside out. We forced his mouth open and poured that venom down his throat, burning his brilliant future to ashes forever. Watching him writhe in agony, begging for mercy, was pure ecstasy. Today, he has lost all capacity to cultivate, making him worse than an ordinary mortal—a living corpse! No matter where he goes now, he is nothing but garbage."
Their sinister laughter echoed off the walls of the luxurious room, a testament to the profound rot festering at the heart of the Lin Family.
Part 4: The Cold Heart of a Father and the Forgotten Son
Meanwhile, in the grand main hall of the Lin Family palace—adorned with heavy, solemn oak furniture—sat Relin's current father figure, Lin Hai. The atmosphere in the room was suffocatingly tense. Standing before him with deep reverence was the family's old Head Butler, a man who had served as Lin Hai's trusted right hand for decades, managing all secret and public affairs.
The butler bowed respectfully and spoke in a hushed tone, "Master Lin Hai, there is a crucial update from within the inner sanctuary. Our highly revered Ancestor, Grandfather Lin Tian, is currently immersed in deep Seclusion within the forbidden holy grounds. He has sent a clear spiritual message out—until he successfully achieves a Breakthrough to the next realm of power, he will not emerge under any circumstances. Furthermore, no one is to disturb him with any family matters during this critical time."
Lin Hai merely nodded solemnly, his face void of emotion. His cold gaze remained fixed, entirely immersed in calculating political maneuvers and power dynamics. To him, the family's absolute authority and the Ancestor's advancement were the only things that mattered.
The butler hesitated, looking at the dead silence gripping the room. He secretly harbored a sliver of sympathy for Relin, having witnessed the boy's brilliant childhood days. Lowering his voice even further into a cautious whisper, he ventured, "Master... if I may be so bold as to ask. Should we perhaps send someone to look into the matter of the Third Young Master, Relin? After that horrific incident, we do not know where he is, how he fares, or if he even survived the toxic aftermath... As a blood member of the family, is it not our duty to check?"
The moment the name Relin reached his ears, Master Lin Hai's expression turned instantly rigid, hard as stone, and ice-cold. There was no trace of remorse, sorrow, or paternal affection in his eyes. He didn't even turn to look at the butler, acting as though someone named Relin had never existed in his bloodline or his life. In the brutal world of cultivation, a useless person held absolutely no value, and his gaze reflected that reality perfectly.
In a tone of absolute indifference and cruelty, Lin Hai commanded, "Ensure the highest level of security around Grandfather's Seclusion area so that no external disturbances occur. Bring me the latest reports on the new Security Arrays implemented for the palace defense. I do not have the luxury to waste time on trivial, dead, and useless matters. Those who cannot prove their worth have no place in the Lin Family."
Sensing Master Lin Hai's unyielding and heartless resolve, the butler understood perfectly clear that the Master had completely erased Relin from his heart, considering him as good as dead. To a father blinded by the lust for power, family status vastly outweighed the life of his own child. Without uttering another word, the butler bowed his head low and quietly exited the room.
Left alone, Lin Hai stared out the window into the vast, empty courtyard with a merciless gaze. In the labyrinth of the Lin Family's greed, pride, and conspiracies, Relin's existence seemed to have vanished like a speck of ash blown away by the wind. Yet, none of them knew that from those very ashes, Relin would one day rise like a catastrophic phoenix—and on that day, the entire Lin empire would burn to the ground in the fires of his wrath.
[ See you in next chapter. ]