Chapter 1

Boom…

A thunderclap echoed, and above the sky, lightning was densely spread, illuminating the dark night with a streak of light.

In the Northern Mystic Empire, within Lingyun City.

Bang…

At this moment, a figure was directly thrown out of the back door of a luxurious mansion.

"Hehe, Young Master Qin Chen, I never thought you would have such a miserable day?"

"Hey, what kind of genius awakened the Star Gate? Without the Star Gate, you're no longer a genius. In our Lingyun City, the Qin family and our City Lord's Ling family are incomparable!"

"Tomorrow, the news will spread everywhere. Then we'll just wait and see the jokes, hahaha…"

The two guards were discussing without any restraint, completely ignoring whether the blood-soaked youth on the ground was dead or alive.

Crack…

Thunder rumbled, lightning flashed intensely, and the earth was swept by strong winds, stirring up fallen leaves.

The youth lay on the ground, his slightly pale and clean face stained with blood, his body trembling uncontrollably, his thin body bleeding profusely.

"Ling Shicheng!"

"Ling Tian!"

The youth's teeth chattered, blood foam spewed from his mouth, but he gritted his teeth and uttered these two names.

Drip, drip…

Under the lightning and thunder, rain began to fall, gradually forming a torrent that engulfed the earth.

The wind howled, and raindrops pounded the ground fiercely.

Qin Chen lifted his head and looked at the sky.

"Lord of Heaven, are you also feeling the injustice for me, Qin Chen?" Qin Chen murmured softly, allowing the rain to beat down on him.

"I refuse to accept it. How can I, Qin Chen, die in such a place? How can I, Qin Chen, submit to Ling Shicheng and his son?"

Qin Chen clenched his teeth and struggled to get up, leaving a trail of blood behind him, which was quickly washed away by the heavy rain.

The rain fell with a pattering sound, and Qin Chen's entire body trembled uncontrollably, his face pale and terrifying. But his hands continued to struggle forward, even as his fingers bled profusely, he didn't care.

Suddenly, the rain stopped abruptly.

An umbrella appeared in front of Qin Chen.

A graceful figure, wearing silver boots and a long dress with jasmine embroidery, stood before Qin Chen.

Even in the rain, the woman exuded a fragrant and elegant aura.

"Chu Ningshi!"

Qin Chen lifted his head and looked at the beautiful woman before him, whose face had once made him infatuated, but now made him feel nauseous.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm taking you back!" Chu Ningshi said coldly.

"Taking me back? Are you being so kind now?"

"Qin Chen!"

Chu Ningshi said, "You should know that the Ling family is the undisputed ruler in Lingyun City. Even if our Chu family and your Qin family combined, we are no match for them. Ling Shicheng is a Heavenly Gate Realm expert, I had no choice!"

"No choice?"

Qin Chen sneered, "Chu Ningshi, your so-called 'no choice' is to deceive me to Lingyun Mountains, let Ling Shicheng capture me, and personally strip me of my Star Gate, transferring it to his son, Ling Tian?"

"Make me, Qin Chen, a cripple, a man doomed to die, and after my death, be despised by the people of Lingyun City?"

"Qin Chen!"

Chu Ningshi took a deep breath and said, "Isn't your Qin family also forced to bow to the City Lord's mansion? If I don't cooperate, my Chu family will be erased from Lingyun City. The common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure brings disaster. You understand, right? If you blame anyone, blame yourself for awakening the Star Gate!"

"Hahaha…"

Qin Chen laughed wildly, his face twisted in madness, "Good, good, good, what a fine example of the common man being innocent, but possessing a treasure brings disaster!"

"If I, Qin Chen, hadn't listened to your lies, how would I have been captured by the Ling family and stripped of my Star Gate by Ling Shicheng and his son?"

"You… are simply obstinate!"

"Get lost!"

Qin Chen suddenly shouted, "Even if I die here, I don't need your false concern!"

"Hmph!"

Chu Ningshi huffed and said, "Ling Tian is a prodigy, already recognized by the Heavenly Son Party of the Imperial Heavenly God Academy. The Heavenly Son Party will use their influence to recruit Ling Tian as a student, but there is one condition…"

"The condition is that Ling Tian must possess a Star Gate. Now that he has your Star Gate, he can enter the Heavenly God Academy and be cultivated by the leader of the Heavenly Son Party, which will surely elevate him further. At that time, your Qin family will have no chance of survival!"

"Get lost!"

Qin Chen's voice was firm and resolute.

Chu Ningshi's eyes turned cold, and she shook her head, full of disdain. She held the umbrella and turned to leave.

In her eyes, Qin Chen was now just struggling in his dying moments, for his pitiful self-respect!

A bitter smile appeared on Qin Chen's lips.

He finally understood why Chu Ningshi, his fiancée, had done this!

The Heavenly God Academy, the top academy of the Northern Mystic Empire, was about to recruit Ling Tian, so Chu Ningshi… willingly betrayed him, Qin Chen!

"Father, I'm sorry, I have failed your expectations, I'm sorry…"

Tears streamed down his face as Qin Chen's consciousness gradually faded…

Boom…

The sky above, thunder and lightning grew more intense, and the figure on the street gradually grew cold.

A crack sounded, and at that moment, a bolt of lightning struck the youth directly.

Suddenly, nine beams of light appeared within Qin Chen's body, surrounding his figure, shining brightly, and finally merging into his body, disappearing.

…

The next day, in Lingyun City, within the Qin family's residence, in a separate courtyard.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, a voice of surprise and doubt sounded as Qin Chen woke up from the bed.

However, at this moment, Qin Chen's eyes were somewhat confused, and the blood on his body had been cleaned away.

"I… didn't die…"

Qin Chen looked at his hands, his head throbbing.

"That's not right, I… went through nine lives and nine deaths, was harmed by a petty person, and failed to transcend the tribulation, already dead…"

"That's also not right, I am the third young master of the Qin family, Qin Chen, stripped of my Star Gate by Ling Tian, but didn't die…"

Qin Chen clutched his head, feeling somewhat disoriented, as the two sets of memories mixed together, causing him a headache.

Suddenly, he felt a bead in his mind begin to rotate.

"This is… the Sealing God Pearl…"

"Huh? How did this bead appear? How do I know the name of this bead?"

Suddenly, a surge of spiritual energy erupted from the Sealing God Pearl, flowing through his body, making a rustling sound.