Reality whirled in dizzying spirals as Yu Zheng clawed his way back to consciousness, an unwilling puppet in the throes of a brutal dance. His form was tossed from one aggressor to the next, not unlike a plaything at the mercy of capricious winds. The air was thick with the wild, untamed guffaws of his tormentors, their delight echoing ominously within the confines of their crude amphitheater.
His vision, smeared by a veil of disarray, could not discern the figures of his tormentors, nor the contours of his location. The world around him was shrouded in a cloak of inky obscurity, holding firm its grim secrets.
His thoughts, clouded and chaotic, valiantly attempted to steady themselves, but a fierce, cutting agony intruded upon the deepest recesses of his being, thwarting any semblance of coherent cognition. This searing torment held his consciousness in a relentless grip, barring him from the clarity he desperately sought.
Yu Zheng found himself ensnared in the coils of bewilderment, unable to fathom the torrent of events that had engulfed him. He had been a lone wayfarer, charting his course through the ethereal expanses of the Immortal Realm when vestiges of a bygone era surfaced in a prohibited domain he had ventured into for multifarious considerations. These ruins were pristine, unsullied by the touch of civilization - a testament to their obscurity, for he had neither encountered whisperings of their existence nor stumbled upon their mention in the chronicled annals of fellow adventurers.
Weighing the potential risks against the tantalizing allure of rewards that lay shrouded within the heart of these ruins, Yu Zheng had resolved to navigate the uncharted labyrinth. His preparation had been meticulous, sparing no effort to account for every conceivable adversity, every snare that might lie hidden, preparing to catch the unwary. Only when he was confident in his ability to navigate the ruins without incident, did he set forth on his odyssey.
Just as he'd surmised, the ruins were a trove of challenges: intricate traps, complex formations, and grueling tests each barring the way to its inner sanctum. Over the course of a near year-long endeavor, he persevered, negotiating each obstacle, eventually gaining access to the heart of the ruins – a place of power referred to as the Sovereign's Throne.
Throughout his arduous journey, he had faced numerous trials, each one more formidable than the last. Yet, the aftermath of each trial brought rewards of profound significance. Rare cultivation manuals, arcane alchemy recipes, formation disks, high-tier spiritual pills, even formidable weaponry - the collective worth of these treasures was sufficient to stagger the world if discovered.
Yet, all these treasures paled in comparison to the jewel ensconced within the heart of the ruins. An ornament of such tantalizing allure that it ignited an irresistible yearning in all who beheld it; a relic hailing from an era long since erased from the collective memory of the realm's denizens; a treasure of such monumental power that it held the potential to manipulate the very fabric of reality in the hands of the deserving.
It was a ring – no, more than a ring, a singular piece of artistry unlike any other, the Sovereign's Throne. The moniker was not merely a label for the ruins, but the appellation of the ring itself.
From the instant his gaze landed upon the ring, Yu Zheng felt his heart's rhythm quicken, a compelling urgency seeping into his very veins. Desire surged within him, a voracious hunger to claim the ring as his own, with such intensity that it threatened to consume his reason. The solitary thought that consumed him was to claim the ring, to reach out and seize this ethereal treasure before him. And so, yielding to the irresistible pull, he did exactly that.
His fingertips brushed against the transcendent artifact that lay before him. But in that fateful moment, reality itself seemed to unravel. The world before him plunged into an abyss of obscurity, his senses fled, abandoning him. Everything he'd known, everything he'd been, dissolved into nothingness: the ring, the chamber, the ruins, the world around him, even his very existence. As if Yu Zheng had been naught but a fleeting thought in the mind of the universe. His world was reduced to a void, an infinite expanse of blankness, and eventually, even his thoughts dissolved into silence.
His next awareness was that of brutal awakening, his body at the mercy of unknown assailants, beating him without respite. His mind began to whirl like a tempest, desperately seeking a way to subdue his assailants or at the very least, escape their savage onslaught. Without wasting a moment, he sought to align his spirit with his Sea of Consciousness, ready to unleash the formidable reserves of explosive Qi that he had nurtured over countless years. His strategy was to unleash a shockwave of Qi energy potent enough to repel his attackers, affording him a precious moment of respite.
With his powers, he was confident he could effortlessly subdue these thugs who had ensnared him in their brutal web. He could discern from their attacks that they were mere Initiates - mortals so feeble that a mere sneeze from him could decimate their ranks without end. Now that he had clawed his way back to consciousness, it was time for these miscreants to face retribution for their unprovoked assault.
But when he endeavored to tap into his spiritual Qi, he was confronted with a barren wasteland, as parched as the sun-scorched desert of a desolate world. Shock seized him as he realized why these pitiful brutes had been able to inflict pain on his ordinarily Qi-shielded body - a detail he had overlooked amidst his initial confusion.
However, his newfound understanding didn't hinder him from devising an escape plan. His Qi reserves might have run dry, but he was far from helpless. He had another means at his disposal, a course of action he was reluctant to use, one that would inflict minor damage upon his essential being. But, Yu Zheng was quick on his feet.
His rapid thinking and clever wit had allowed him to rise from an insignificant nobody to a formidable Realm Lord, both feared and respected. Yes, his Essence would be damaged, but it was a temporary setback, one he was confident he could recuperate from in a short span.
Without further hesitation, he put his spur-of-the-moment plan into action. In the next instant, an arcane energy pulsed from his heart, permeating every fiber of his being. The injuries that had hampered his retaliation eased, as Yu Zheng sought to mend them. Although he couldn't eradicate them entirely in a flash, he could mitigate them enough to prevent permanent damage. After all, partial recovery was better than none.
The most severe wound was a gnawing ache in his skull, almost as though his cranium had been crushed. Ignoring this, he directed a trickle of his Origin Qi towards his head, intent on healing it.
Simultaneously, an invisible energy field expanded around him, radiating from his body to envelop his immediate surroundings. Instantaneously, a vision crystallized in Yu Zheng's mind. Despite his still blurred vision, he could perceive every detail of his surroundings with uncanny clarity, missing not even the smallest nuance.
The moment had arrived for Yu Zheng, the hour ripe for him to unleash his deftly orchestrated counterstrike.