Under the dark indigo sky with twinkling stars, two black-robed men dragged an unconscious young man.
They dragged him across the icy mountain peak. The young man's robes were torn. His long hair fell across his face. He looked extremely handsome.
He had straight eyebrows with a high nose bridge. A sharp jawline and a pale complexion defined his features. His lips were dyed red with blood stains.
Soon they reached the freezing peak. There were many caves with heavy black iron doors. The guards opened one door. They threw the unconscious man inside.
Thud!
The man fell heavily onto the icy floor. The heavy iron door closed shut. He was left completely alone in the dark cave.
Soon cold energy penetrated his skin from the ground.
Mmph.
He groaned in terrible pain. A few moments later his eyes slowly opened. The freezing ice qi made his chest injuries incredibly painful.
Argh!
It felt like a hundred icy needles piercing his fractured chest bones as the cold energy entered him.
He tried using his Spiritual Qi to protect himself from cold energy, but he soon realized his dantian was completely sealed.
He slowly dragged his battered body. He leaned against the icy stone wall to sit up. He looked blankly at the dark opposite wall.
His mind began to drift away from the cold. It wandered into distant memories of the past.
He was born into the Chen Clan. Chen Clan was one of the empire's top factions. His father, Chen Zhan, was a highly influential figure.
Despite being from a side branch, his highly respected father acted as one of the major clan pillars.
His father was a renowned genius who ranked in the top five during the Dragon Gate Tournament.
Because of that, he joined the Azure Heaven Sect. It was a powerful sect outside the empire. His mother was originally a disciple there.
His life was supposed to go smoothly and it did in the very beginning.
Until both of his parents suddenly died during a dangerous secret realm exploration when he was just nine.
The atmosphere inside the clan slowly changed. Warm smiles turned into cold and mocking sneers. His clan brothers started to pick fights with him. They did it for absolutely no reason.
The family manor no longer felt like a home. Fortunately, he was not entirely alone.
Aunt Wu stayed by his side. She was his mother's personal maid. She raised him like her own flesh and blood. To him, she was undoubtedly his second mother.
Her warm hands and her gentle voice became his only true comfort during those terrifying lonely sleepless nights.
He also had Uncle Liu. He was his father's sworn brother. He showed him genuine warmth and care.
Uncle Liu had a daughter named Liu Ruyan. They used to visit him often. Liu Ruyan soon became his friend. They spent countless days playing together.
Later, he learned she was his fiancee. They had a formal marriage engagement. Their parents had arranged it. Despite his father's death, Uncle Liu kept the promise.
But the heavens had something else in store. Liu Ruyan possessed incredible talent as she grew up. She joined the Mystic Jade Sect. It was the top sect of the empire.
Her strength soared with time. She eventually became their revered Holy Maiden.
Meanwhile, his cultivation resources were controlled. The family completely restricted him.
He never got the top cultivation resources that he should have rightfully received after his father contributed heavily.
In the end, he joined the Flowing Cloud Sect. He wanted to get the right cultivation resources. But his talent was only better than average.
The only thing people talked about was his face. His mother was a peerless beauty. His father was a heroic looking man. He inherited the best of their looks.
Meanwhile, Liu Ruyan was a supreme beauty. She ranked third on the Empire's Genius List. The gap between them increased every single day.
A few weeks ago, Liu Ruyan visited his sect. She requested to break their marriage engagement. Her sect master gave her a top cultivation technique.
This technique required absolute physical purity. She simply could not have a partner.
He felt bitterness in his heart. However, he agreed without causing any trouble for her.
He simply did not want to become an annoying obstacle on her future cultivation path.
He was completely stuck in the Foundation Building realm. He had failed his recent breakthrough attempt.
Deep down he knew that he was no longer a suitable match for a genius like her, who was already a Core Formation cultivator.
She asked him to convince her father. He agreed and reassured her about the matter.
Later, he returned to the Chen Clan, intending to visit the ancestral graveyard to pay his respects. It was the anniversary of his parents' death.
He also needed to deliver the news of the broken engagement. He knew some people would be gloating when they heard it.
But an unexpected nightmare was waiting for him. Aunt Wu had been violently poisoned. She was rapidly dying because of that.
His world shattered when he saw her frail body trembling on a bed. She was coughing up black blood.
He ran directly to the clan treasury. He begged the elder for a healing pill. He wanted the Nine Revolutions Detoxification Pill. It was a third rank spiritual pill and It was the only thing that could save her.
The treasury elder refused his request. The elder told him that he had insufficient merit. He could not get the pill.
The young man reminded them of his father. His father made vast contributions. Taking a third rank pill was entirely justified. Yet the elder still denied him.
Then, Chen Ming walked into the hall. He looked at the young man and laughed. He openly mocked the dead parents.
Something snapped inside the young man. He attacked Chen Ming in pure rage. But his attack never landed.
The treasury elder stopped his attack easily. He hit the young man with terrifying force.
The massive and terrifying blow sent his broken body flying out of the grand hall with shattered bones.
He was sentenced to solitary confinement. He had to spend one night in the Glacial Bone Cave. His dantian was completely sealed.
The vivid memories of the treasury hall slowly faded. His distant gaze came back into focus.
His breath came out in pale fog. Thin icy scales covered his freezing skin. The cold qi would only grow stronger as the night deepened. Yet he did not want the night to end.
"Aunt Wu, I have failed you." He murmured softly in the cold dark.
Hot tears mixed with his frozen blood stains. The cold qi chilled his bones. But the pain inside his heart was much stronger.
He knew she would not survive the night. That was why he desperately wanted the pill.
Instead, he was locked inside a frozen cave while she was dying alone. At least he wanted to be there in her final moments.
He even got on his knees and begged to spend just one final night by her side. But his cries were completely ignored. They ruthlessly dragged him away.
Trapped in the cave, he could do nothing but wait for morning. As the night passed, so too would Aunt Wu.