Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Betrayal of an Emperor

Location: The Sacred Forest of Beasts

"I won't let you hurt them! If you want to get to them, you'll have to walk over my dead body!"

"Oh, please, Emperor Yuan. Look at your wounds. Do you really think you can keep us here forever?"

Holding his severely injured shoulder, Emperor Yuan laughed maniacally.

"You ungrateful bastards! I gave you land and resources, but this is the thanks I get?"

"You're trying to buy time with all this gibberish!"

The man raised his hand and ordered thousands of cultivators to attack.

…

At that desperate moment, a bright beam of light shot into the sky.

Emperor Yuan smirked.

"It seems those kids are finally out."

The thousands of cultivators surrounding him wore shocked and terrified expressions.

"No way! They all broke through to the DIVINE EMPEROR stage! This is bad!"

Emperor Yuan laughed maniacally.

"Kids, you're finally out of the Sacred Cave! Good, very good! These people from the Eastern Lands were trying to sabotage you while you were defenseless and vulnerable. But now that you've broken through, you can kill every last one of them!"

He burst into laughter.

…

For nearly ten seconds, the battlefield remained silent. Then, everyone burst into laughter.

Jing Qian, one of the seven siblings who had been in seclusion, laughed hysterically.

"You know, Brother Yuan, for someone who's supposed to be a saint, you certainly laugh like a villain!"

It was at that moment that Emperor Yuan finally understood everything that had happened.

Judging by the expressions and actions of the people surrounding him, he realized that his sworn siblings had betrayed him.

"Why, Jing? Wu? Emma? All of you? Why? I gave you everything! What more could you possibly want?"

"Oh, Brother Yuan, you're as naive as ever. Isn't it obvious? We want your position as the Emperor of the Western Lands. Besides, you're a threat to our future plans."

Having exhausted his strength and Qi after the long battle, Yuan had no choice but to flee for dear life.

"Should we chase him?"

"No. Let him struggle to his heart's content. After all, it's not as though he can run very far."

…

Heavy breathing and footsteps echoed through the snow.

A glimpse of sunlight shone above Yuan's head as he desperately struggled forward. However, his strength eventually gave out, and he fell face-first into the snow.

Behind him stood a thousand cultivators and seven cultivators who had reached the DIVINE EMPEROR stage.

In that moment, Jing Qian pierced Yuan's body with his hand.

Yuan could do nothing but look up at the sky and reflect on his life.

…

EMPEROR YUAN'S PAST

Yuan had been a talented martial artist from birth and was known as a genius among geniuses.

He had originally been destined to become the clan leader of a small clan in the Western Lands. However, his ambitions were far greater than that. Determined to explore the world, he set out on a journey across the entire Upper Realm.

During his travels, he made many friends. Among them were seven individuals whom he had saved and taken under his wing.

Rather than treating them as his children, Yuan chose to make them his sworn siblings. He loved them as a father would love his own children.

When the Emperor of the Western Lands suddenly died, the position was left vacant. Yuan possessed the qualifications necessary to succeed him, so the three Elders of the Upper Realm appointed him as the new Emperor of the Western Lands.

Yuan was deeply loved by his people. However, his own sworn siblings gradually grew jealous of him.

To keep them loyal, Yuan provided them with the resources they needed to cultivate. Eventually, all seven went into seclusion in a secret cave within the Sacred Forest of Beasts, a place rich in Qi.

For two months, Yuan protected the cave day and night non-stop, fighting off invaders from the Eastern Lands who sought to kill his siblings.

Or so he thought.

Unbeknownst to him, his siblings had made a deal with the Eastern Lands. Their plan was to exhaust Yuan through continuous battles, leaving him weak enough for them to finish him off themselves.

Deep down, Yuan had suspected that they might betray him. However, the kind side of his nature refused to accept that the people he loved could turn against him.

Now that his suspicions had become reality, he finally allowed his other self to take control.

But it was already too late.

…

"Is he dead?"

"I think so."

Their voices gradually faded into the distance.

…

DRIFTING IN THE ABYSS

"What is this? Am I truly dead?"

Yuan laughed bitterly.

"Hahaha! Who would have thought that one of the Emperors of the Upper Realm would die such a miserable death?"

He sighed.

"Fine. They want a demon? Hehehe... Then I'll give them one!"

Before him stood his other self, surrounded by a dark purple aura. Behind this mysterious figure loomed a gigantic phantom serpent, so enormous that it appeared to be the size of a galaxy.

Yuan looked at his dark self.

"I have no excuse for locking you away in here for four hundred years. I was young and foolish. But now, I need your help. Please, help me!"

Yuan's dark self simply smiled.

Yuan smiled back.

The two reached out and clasped hands.

A bright, blinding flash erupted as their bodies merged into one.

…

"Perfect! Now, let's use that senior's inheritance."

…

The Blood Worm is a GU controlled by demonic cultivators. It could kill its host within five to six years by destroying their soul.

However, when it was against a Divine Serpent soul, its fate was sealed.

Unable to withstand the Divine Serpent's overwhelming presence, the Blood Worm Gu perished.