Chapter 1

As night fell, in the southwestern part of Zhuque Continent, there was a valley in the town of Qiuye, rarely visited by people. At this moment, a young man stood on a patch of open ground outside the valley entrance.

The young man had sharp features, a cold expression, and his lips were tightly pressed into a straight line, like a statue, standing straight and staring intently at his shadow cast by the cold moonlight on the ground.

Suddenly, a mournful howl echoed, and a white figure appeared in front of the young man like a ghost.

The person was a middle-aged man, tall and robust, dressed in white mourning clothes, holding a funeral staff, with a blood-red face. He wore a tall paper hat with four bright red characters written on it: "You have come too." Most astonishingly, he was carrying a white wooden coffin on his shoulder!

The middle-aged man's eyes glinted with a cold and cruel light as he looked at the young man and said in a sinister tone, "You are from the Ye family?"

The young man's eyes had already shifted from the ground to the coffin on the man's shoulder. His body trembled slightly, and he clenched his fists, saying, "Ye Dong!"

"Exactly!" The middle-aged man nodded with a cold laugh. "At sixteen or seventeen, you have already cultivated to the Sixth Rank Spirit Seal, a promising future indeed. Where is the item?"

Ye Dong took out a palm-sized jade slip from his chest. "The item is here. Where is my father?"

The middle-aged man suddenly slammed the coffin down hard, creating a shockwave. The coffin lid opened with a thud.

Inside the coffin lay a middle-aged man with a gaunt face and closed eyes, none other than Ye Dong's father, Ye Yunfei!

"Father!" Ye Dong's face changed drastically, and he stepped forward to lift his father out of the coffin.

However, the middle-aged man appeared in front of him, spreading his palm and saying, "Hand over the item!"

Ye Dong took a step back, his eyes filled with hatred, and glared at the man. "Let me see my father's condition first!"

"Hmph!" The middle-aged man sneered without hesitation. "What's the point of looking at a dead body? Hand over the item, and take the body!"

These words struck Ye Dong like a bolt of lightning. His face turned deathly pale, and he pointed at his father, his voice trembling. "My, my father is dead?"

"I only said to bring the item within three days to exchange for a person, not whether the person was dead or alive. Ha, once in the Yama Hall, there's no return to life!"

Looking at his father's lifelike face in the coffin, which indeed showed no signs of life, Ye Dong's eyes welled up with tears.

The middle-aged man said impatiently, "If you want to cry, do it at home. Quickly hand over the item, or you won't leave here today!"

A determined look flashed in Ye Dong's eyes!

"Here!"

With a swift motion, the jade slip in his hand shot out like an arrow, flying towards the middle-aged man. At the same time, Ye Dong burst forward, raising his right fist, which was enveloped in a swirling white aura, and struck the middle-aged man with a powerful blow.

"Looking for death!"

The middle-aged man's face showed disdain, and he did not move an inch. A visible shockwave swept out in all directions, and the jade slip landed in his hand as if guided by an invisible hand.

"Bang!"

In mid-air, Ye Dong was hit by the shockwave, unable to resist, and his body flew backward like a stone, landing several meters away with a thud. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his body trembling, and then lost consciousness.

"Sixth Rank Spirit Seal, and you dare to fight me!"

The middle-aged man shook his head in contempt, looking at the jade slip in his hand. Suddenly, his face changed drastically, as the jade slip was empty, containing nothing he needed!

"You dare to trick me!"

As he spoke, a faint white giant snake formed by spiritual energy appeared on his arm. He raised his hand and struck the coffin beside him.

However, at that moment, the clear, windless sky suddenly became stormy, with lightning snakes dancing and thunder booming.

Seeing this sudden change, the middle-aged man's body trembled, and he paused his hand in the air, looking up in confusion. At this moment, a long howl echoed from a distance.

Hearing the howl, the middle-aged man grunted, changed his strike to a lift, and placed the coffin back on his shoulder, turning to leave.

But glancing at the unconscious Ye Dong on the ground, the middle-aged man's face twisted into a cruel smile. "At your young age, you have already reached the Sixth Rank Spirit Seal, a highly talented individual. Keeping you alive would be a future threat, but killing you would be too easy. I'll destroy your dantian, making you a cripple for the rest of your life, hahaha!"

With a casual flick, a white light shot from his hand, striking Ye Dong's abdomen.

In his unconscious state, Ye Dong let out a muffled groan, the intense pain waking him up. The middle-aged man, having done his deed, paid no further attention to Ye Dong and disappeared in a flash.

At the same time, a red light appeared in the sky, rapidly descending towards Ye Dong on the ground.

Ye Dong forced his eyes open, not yet aware of his condition, and saw the red light getting closer. The light seemed to contain something, which looked like a red drop of water, as vivid as blood!

With a "pu" sound, the red light shot directly into Ye Dong's forehead, disappearing inside, and Ye Dong instinctively closed his eyes.

The entry of the light caused Ye Dong's consciousness to explode, and he fell into unconsciousness again!

If Ye Dong could see inside his body at this moment, he would have noticed that the red drop of water, as vivid as blood, had transformed into a tiny pinpoint of light after entering his forehead and instantly disappeared into his life sea.

Strangely, the stormy sky, which had been about to unleash a downpour, suddenly cleared up.

After more than an hour, Ye Dong's body finally moved, and he slowly opened his eyes again. A wave of intense pain immediately swept through his entire body.

Recalling the red light, Ye Dong's face showed confusion, but it quickly turned to despair.

His dantian was completely shattered, and the Sixth Rank Spirit Seal he had cultivated over ten years had vanished. Without a dantian, he could no longer absorb spiritual energy or form spirit seals, meaning he would be a cripple for the rest of his life.

This realization made Ye Dong's heart bleed!