CHAPTER [03]
CHAPTER ( 03 )
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[ Zhu Qing's Resident, Duke's Castle ]
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In a beautiful courtyard house within the castle, the garden was stunning, with a koi pond and cherry blossom trees lining the path to the entrance.
Nearby, the training grounds had sand pits and wooden dummies for practice. Inside, one of the bedrooms had a meditation area with cushions and low tables.
The air was thick with rich qi, enriched by a high rank 5th grade spiritual vein, which enhanced the atmosphere with medicinal qi from heaven and earth, aiding one's path of cultivation.
At the center of the room, atop the red carpet, Zu Qing sat in the lotus position. His mind wandered over troubling thoughts, each one pulling him deeper into a pit of concern and unease.
"I don't know if I should believe this or not. Better to be cautious than to regret it later. But if it's true... is this my second birth, or am I just seeing the future?"
Earlier, in the grand hall, when Ye Tian shouted at him, Zu Qing felt an uncanny sense of familiarity, as if this moment had already unfolded in another life.
In an instant, it felt as though his mind was being torn apart and rebuilt, the searing pain nearly driving him mad. Yet, after that terrifying experience, he now had memories of the future.
According to the memories, Zu Qing had been a humble, honest young man in his past life. He wasn't foolish, but he trusted the wrong people. His first mistake was trusting Ye Tian. Zu Qing believed Ye Tian hated him out of concern for his junior sister-in-law, but that wasn't the case.
In his previous life, Zu Qing tried his best to ease the relationship between them, as both belonged to House Long. However, when Ye Tian lost his power for unknown reasons and his marriage was annulled, vengeance filled his heart, and he threatened to kill everyone once he regained his power.
Zu Qing, who had now become a member of the Holy Land, almost forgot about him and focused on his cultivation.
Three years passed. Zu Qing even married Long Yulan, whom he loved, and they had newborn children together. Then, on the first day of the fourth year, chaos descended upon the Heavenly Dao Continent when the Chaos Demon attacked, and one of its commanders was Ye Tian.
At this time, Ye Tian had reached the Void Refinement Realm, making him far too powerful for Zhu Qing, who was only in the late Golden Core stage. Thus Ye Tian showed no mercy; first he castrated Zhu Qing, ripped his limbs from his body, and fed the bloody pieces to ravenous beasts. Yet, he didn't allow him the release of death, ensuring Zhu Qing remained alive to endure every moment of his horrific ordeal.
He not only killed his in-laws' family but also abducted their eldest daughter in the name of revenge. Ye Tian's cruelty knew no bounds.
Out of sheer hatred, he killed Zu Qing's children. In a final act of brutality, he even murdered Zu Qing's wife, who refused to submit to him.
Even as his own life slipped away, it wasn't his greatest sorrow.
The deepest pain came from losing his beloved wife, a loss that left an aching void in his heart.
The faces of his parents haunted him, their unjust deaths an ever-bleeding wound, made worse by his inability to find and punish their killer.
Most devastating of all was the memory of his children, brutally killed before his eyes.
Those innocent souls, who once clung to his chest and sought comfort in his embrace, now lay bloodied on the ground.
This sight left him with an unbearable sense of failure.
He had failed as a son, failed as a father, failed as a husband—a wretched, pathetic failure.
In that moment, Zhu Qing unlocked the full potential of his physique — The Body of Eternal Time and Endless Reincarnations.
This ultimate form transcends the boundaries of time and life itself. Yet, just as he achieved this awakening, he lost consciousness.
Zhu Qing started sweating uncontrollably, unable to rein in his emotions.
What he had witnessed struck terror deep into his soul.
How could someone as gifted as he be defeated so utterly, without even the slightest chance to resist his fate?
"If these memories are real, then the first person I need to kill isn't my parents' murderer, but that damned Ye Tian. But who am I, really? Who was that man from that strange civilization, Earth? Was that me too."
It was an unsettling reality. He possessed three years of memories from his past life as Zhu Qing in this world, and, to his dismay, the recollections of a man from Earth also lingered in his mind.
This duality troubled and confused him, forcing him to face an existential crisis.
The man from Earth had a striking resemblance to him in facial features.
He had lived an average life, a bookish nerd who used to read long Aotian tales, those messed-up Chinese novels about hypocritical protagonists and pretenders.
His own life was unremarkable; he had achieved nothing significant, had no romantic relationships, and had become an unsuccessful, trolling nerd who met an early demise.
Yet, his memories were useful. Through them, Zhu Qing came to understand the fickle nature of luck.
The more he pondered it, the clearer it became that such extraordinary transformations were possible.
Perhaps the greatest example in his past life was the waste wood turning into a genius.
He now knew he needed to keep a close eyes on Ye Tian.
"Whether I'm Zhu Qing from the Heavenly Dao Domain or from Earth, one thing's clear: I'll die if I don't change my fate...I need to focus on cultivation and get stronger. If I reach the pinnacle, who would dare mess with me?"
With those thoughts in mind, Zhu Qing summoned the spatial ring bestowed upon him by his mother-in-law. He pricked his finger, allowing a single drop of blood to fall upon the ring.
It glowed with a radiant light, acknowledging him as its rightful owner.
"I've already exhausted all my resources a few weeks ago; it's time to take on some family missions. But first, let's see the generosity of the Duke's house and if there's anything useful," Zhu Qing thought.
Zhu Qing's face no longer showed any sadness. Instead, his eyes sparkled with a disturbing mix of duty and an eerie glint of uncontrollable madness.
With a deep breath, he channeled his qi through his dantian, the energy swirling and surging like a tempest within him.
At the same time, he extended his consciousness, refined and powerful at the Profound Golden Core realm, into the depths of the spatial ring.
What he discovered inside brought a satisfied smile to his lips.
"500 million low-grade spiritual stones, 50 million medium-grade spiritual stones, 5 million high-grade spiritual stones, and even 5000 supreme-grade spiritual stones,"
Soon...His gaze shifted to the myriad of treasures laid out within the ring.
"And here, three Profound Core Formation pills, one Nascent Soul Formation pill, ten Spirit Cleansing pills, three Dragon Blood pills, and ten thousand Qi Gathering pills."
His eyes gleamed with appreciation as he continued his inventory.
"An epic-grade spiritual sword and Heaven-grade Mountain Armor. My father-in-law is indeed a generous man, one who knows how to look after his son-in-law. Not petty at all."
He paused, a flicker of longing crossing his features.
"But if I had the treasures of my own family, it would have been even better."
Zhu Qing wasn't wrong; his father-in-law was truly generous.
In a semi-mortal country like the Divine Sun Dynasty, where resources were scarce compared to the rest of the continent, even finding the ingredients for pills was a challenge, let alone finding an alchemist to forge them.
The resources and pills in his spatial ring emanated powerful auras, indicative of their high grade.
It was clear that they had been crafted by at least a sixth-grade master alchemist or Treasure master.
Even the treasures were extraordinary, with some reaching Heaven rank and Epic rank.
In the Dynasty, even Spirit or Earth grade treasures would incite fierce battles among powerful cultivators. Heaven rank treasures were almost unimaginable.
Thus!!!
Zhu Qing felt a surge of gratitude as he surveyed the riches before him.
Especially now, after losing all his treasures while fleeing to the Dukedom, these gifts were invaluable.
His father-in-law had not only shown generosity but had also given him a chance to rebuild his strength and protect himself.
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To Be Continued...