Chapter 1 Deep Hatred

The mystical Wolf Mountain overlooked a vast, greening landscape. At its foot lies the perilous Lourtry Cliff, one of the four cursed regions on the Aderon Cloud Continent. People believed the place was haunted as numerous warriors and cultivators had perished there, their bodies and spirits devoured by demonic forces lurking in the shadows. No one had ever come out alive, not even the three almighty cultivators who had reached the Heavenly Immortal Realm. It was a place of great evil, where only the bravest and most skilled cultivators dared venture. A young man with dark hair and brown eyes was leaning against a rock tower perched on the cliff's edge. His black clothes were splattered with blood, and he had multiple open wounds on his body. A pool of blood began to form near his feet when he paused momentarily to take a rest. His chest heaved up and down as he struggled to catch his breath. Every muscle in his body started trembling as he was completely void of energy. If it was not for the rock tower that offered some support, he would have collapsed on the floor. Despite his exhaustion, the man's eyes sparkled like frost - cold and dangerous. His steely gaze remained fixed as though he wanted to pierce deep into one's soul. He smiled broadly, but in a condescending and dismissive manner. A group of men had him at a corner, blocking his pathway to escape. They took turns hollering insolent claims of self-righteousness. "You have nowhere else to hide, Yun Che! Hand over the Sky Poison Pearl, and we may consider letting you off!" "We'll ensure justice is served today by getting rid of a scumbag like you! Give us the Sky Poison Pearl, and we'll grant you a quick death. Or else, you shall experience death by a thousand cuts." "Don't be stubborn, Yun Che! Your only hope of survival is to surrender the Sky Poison Pearl. You are unworthy of such a holy object." Anyone from the Aderon Cloud Continent would shudder at the sight of the hordes of men gathered at Lourtry Cliff. They represented some of the continent's most powerful sects. Some were sect leaders, while others were well-known cultivators who had faded into obscurity over the years. It was safe to say that any man standing at Lourtry Cliff could be considered successful in their own right. They had all assembled to confront the man standing at the precipitous cliff. In particular, they wanted to get hold of his possession, the Sky Poison Pearl, the most powerful object in the Aderon Cloud Continent. The crowd chants grew louder as they inched closer to Yun Che. Ever since they first set eyes on the priceless item, every cultivator had the Sky Poison Pearl as their ultimate goal. After fighting for three full days, they were finally one step closer to achieving their aim. "Do you… want… the Sky Poison Pearl," Yun Che scoffed and struggled to lift his right hand to reveal an emerald pearl in his hand. The men were taken aback when they saw the luminous pearl dazzled with brilliance. They came to halt, their greedy eyes glued on the rare treasure. Every one of the men had been a world-renowned hero, but they now seem insignificant in Yun Che's eyes. Despite being at wit's end, Yun Che was still able to keep his cool and said arrogantly, "My master was a selfless person who saved countless people in his lifetime. He did not yearn for money, fame, or power. Yet, greed got the better of all you self-righteous sects! You killed my master seven years ago because of the Sky Poison Pearl." Yun Che continued bitterly, "I hate… hate myself for being so useless. I didn't manage to destroy all the sects in the past seven years." His master's death had caused him so much hatred and resentment over the years. Even though it had been seven years since his passing, Yun Che's eyes welled up as he remembered the injustice his master endured. Yun Che never knew who his birth parents were; his master had adopted him when he was a baby. The master-disciple first met in the spring. He was named "Yun Che" in the hopes that he would grow up to be a bright and kind-hearted man. His master wanted him to follow in his footsteps and become a healer to help the poor and the injured. Throughout the years, his master could miraculously heal any ailment, no matter how severe. The secret lies in the Sky Poison Pearl. Although it was well-known for its deadly toxin, it also had therapeutic benefits. Yun Che's master had never used the poison to do harm; instead, he cleansed the toxins and created antidotes to save countless lives. He gave the finest care he could to every man and woman on the Aderon Cloud Continent. Unfortunately, word of his possession of the Sky Poison Pearl leaked seven years ago, forcing him to flee from people with malicious intentions. Before he was slain by the sects, he had given the sacred pearl to Yun Che. The young man cried for three full days when he heard of his master's demise. Blinded by hatred, he vowed to exact revenge on those responsible. He quit practicing medicine and spent all his time ingesting the Sky Poison Pearl poison. Seven years later, Yun Che was ready to take his revenge. In a short span of ten days, he unleashed his toxicology, killing thousands. He inflicted fear across the Aderon Cloud Continent, but he was also pursued by others who were still determined to get the Sky Poison Pearl. Yun Che glared at his opponents and hissed, "All you worthless scums are unworthy of this treasure! You can forget about getting the Sky Poison Pearl." He then placed the pearl in his mouth and used all of his might to drive the pearl into his abdomen. "What… What are you doing?" "Did he… swallow the Sky Poison Pearl?" "Are you out of your mind, Yun Che!" "Calm down. We can always kill him and retrieve the pearl." The sect members had expected Yun Che to face instant death from the lethal poison. Instead, he began to glow, radiating a slight pulse of aquamarine light from his body. "Let's kill him! Who knows what will happen now that he's consumed the Sky Poison Pearl?" The men standing at the front roared in unison and charged toward Yun Che. As he stared down his impending doom, the man said snobbishly in his feeble voice, "Although I failed to take all your lives, that doesn't give you the right to kill me. The Sky Poison Pearl will never be yours, you useless fools! Nobody has the power to murder me. Even if I'm doomed to die, only I have the power to end my life! Haha!" Yun Che let out one last cackle before leaping off the cliff with all his might. "Stop him!" The clan leaders yelled when they realized the man's intentions. Five to six men tried to grab Yun Che but to no avail. They could only watch him fall off the cliff and slowly disappeared from sight. Lourtry Cliff is an ideal location for my final resting place. I leave this world with no one and nothing to be concerned about. It's a shame I didn't take revenge for my master and didn't find out who my birth parents were... Yun Che tightened his grip on the silver pendant around his neck. It was the only item he had on him when his master discovered him as a baby. He then closed his eyes and embraced the howling wind as he fell into a dark, seemingly bottomless pit.