Chapter 4: Who Are You…
In Skyfall City, one of the cities under the Shen Clan, amidst its crumbling walls and dark alleys, a scene unfolded that knew no mercy.
In a shadowed corner, the body of a small child lay on the ground, blood covering him from every side, his breaths shallow and broken, his body riddled with deep wounds and bruises. His appearance was utterly pitiful, and most importantly… there was no trace of cultivation, just a fragile body in a world that spared no weakness.
Two other children of roughly the same age stood before him, their eyes filled with disdain.
The smaller one said, glancing fearfully at his older brother:
"Big brother… I don't think he'll last long. True, he's exiled from the Shen Clan, but he's still of their blood. We should leave before anyone discovers what we've done."
The older child laughed mockingly, murmuring with contempt:
"Afraid of this wreck? Just useless trash with no hope in cultivation. Even if he dies here, no one will blame us. We can say we were teaching him a lesson so he dares not enter the forest again."
Yet, despite his harsh words, he quickly turned and ran into the darkness of the alley. His younger brother followed moments later, leaving the third child caught between life and death.
Pain gnawed at the small boy's body, but what truly filled his heart was not the pain—it was anger. Blood tears streamed from the corner of his mouth as he muttered in broken breaths, every word etched with hatred:
"Liu… Zao… Liu… Min… pray I do not survive… for if I do… your fate will be worse than death."
As his breaths faded and darkness clouded his eyes, a beam of heavenly light suddenly pierced his body. A flash faster than lightning, beyond the comprehension of any human mind, settled in his chest as if it were a sacred destiny.
The child felt nothing, lost in unconsciousness, finding himself in a world of absolute darkness. His confused thoughts echoed through the void:
"Am… am I dead?"
No one answered—until a cold, emotionless voice rang in the darkness:
"Open your eyes… your death has not come. And it never will."
At the words of the mysterious voice, the scene changed. The child opened his eyes to find himself lying on an endless grassy plain, the sky a pure cerulean blue, and the air filling his chest with a strange warmth he had never known.
He sat in awe, looking around:
"What is this place…?"
The feeling within him was different, as if he had returned to a homeland he had never known.
Then the same voice returned, this time from behind him:
"It does not matter where you are… but what you will do now."
The child slowly turned, his eyes widening in astonishment. Behind him stood a man who could only be described as immortal. His white hair flowed like a silver waterfall, his eyes were blue with a silver gleam radiating awe, and his majestic face commanded respect effortlessly.
And stranger still… he appeared as if he were a matured version of the child himself!
The child trembled, his voice rasping through
his trembling lips:
"W… who are you?"