In a secret room within the opulent palace of the majestic Caldera Kingdom, two girls, one appearing three years old and the other slightly older, lay on the cold floor, their breathing barely there. Strange markings could be seen on both girls' bodies and on the floor all around them. The younger girl fiercely resisted the malevolent ritual carried out, the wails and screeches resonating for a long time, but in the end, she could only succumb to the overpowering dark power. As for the older one, though she had been put to sleep before the ordeal, she still released pained cries in her slumber.
An ostentatiously dressed beautiful woman stood a short distance away, her expression anxious and almost distressed.
"Is it a success?" She asked in a trembling voice. "Is my daughter okay?" Though the younger girl was in a much more critical condition, her worried eyes remained rapt on the older girl.
A middle aged man wearing a dark cape approached the older girl, observing her closely. "The process took a toll on her body but I believe she'll be able to survive this."
The woman's hands tightened into fists. "Why didn't you tell me that it would be this excruciating? My poor baby cried so much!" She shouted.
The man cast her an annoyed glance. "I did warn you repeatedly that this procedure will place both girls in danger especially since they're so young. Even grown adults are at risk of losing their life through this. Still, you insisted on carrying it out."
"Yes, I know." The woman said helplessly. "I'm the one who chose to place my child in danger. But what else could I do?" She clutched her heart, her expression sour. "How could I let my daughter go through the pain of living in that bastard's shadow? She herself told me that she'd much rather die than letting that concubine's daughter surpass her." Her refined facial features twisted in the most vicious sneer as her gaze shifted to the petite dying girl. "Who would have thought that this brat would have the most outstanding innate talent for cultivation? A mere concubine's child! She's not worthy! Thankfully I found it before anyone else did." She then smirked evilly. "Her talent is gone now. Her heavenly dantian has been transferred to my baby. Now it is my Yue'er who will grow up to be a prodigy."
The man was known to be one of the most cruel practitioners of demonic cultivation, but even he was stunned by this woman's viciousness. He wanted to quickly be done with this and never get involved with these people again.
"You'd better keep your word and make sure no one else ever finds out about what happened here. Especially the king." He warned.
The woman waved her hand dismissively. "Of course, don't worry. The king has hardly given her any attention since her mother died after giving birth to her. And naturally he doesn't know about her talent. When he comes back, I'll just tell him the brat fell off a balcony because of a servant's negligence. He won't suspect anything."
Her expression once again turned worried. "Can I take my daughter away now? I need to have a doctor examine her soon."
The man nodded. "It should be safe to remove her from the encirclement now."
Not wasting a second, the woman quickly carried the older girl away.
The man checked on the neglected younger girl. "What are you gonna do about her?"
"Isn't she dead already?" The woman asked disdainfully.
"She's still alive, though barely." He said in awe. "It's amazing that she's still holding on even after all this."
"How annoying!" The woman grumbled. "I know she'll die soon but just to be sure…" she then summoned a guard and commanded him to throw the girl into the death valley…. One of the most perilous places on this continent where even the most advanced cultivators can face death.
The man shook his head as he headed out of the castle. Who said that demonic cultivators had the worst mentality? That woman just now was clearly much worse than him. It's a pity that this talented girl had to fall at her mercy but it's no longer his problem now.
The Balzamia forest was a place shrouded in mystery, a most complex puzzle for explorers. Amidst its serene beauty lay many hidden dangers, claiming the lives of even the toughest. Like a lure, fooling the unsuspecting to their doom, a quiet and almost peaceful atmosphere always reigned in this deadly place. Deeper in the treacherous woods, where the divine energy as well as the dangers abound, an old man could be seen quietly meandering between the towering trees. Though his face was old and wrinkled, projecting the vicissitudes of life, from his sharp eyes and overwhelming bearing, there was no denying his wisdom and latent power. Normally, this reclusive hermit spent most of his time in closed door cultivation, but today, a slight disturbance compelled him to venture into these thick woods.
Old Gao reached the vicinity of the river where he sensed the disturbance but then stopped short at the sight before him. A tiny girl, no more than 3 years old, could be seen lying along the river bank, half of her body still submerged in the water. The strong current seemed about to drag her upstream so old Gao activated his inner qi and flew over, pulling the child fully to the surface.
Staring at her cute and petite, but incredibly pale face, he already knew that her situation was hopeless. Still, he held the girl's wrist and channeled his inner qi into her body, checking her condition. A few seconds later, he abruptly released the girl's hand, his gaze horrified. His expression then morphed into pity.
"Dear lord, how could anyone do such a cruel thing. And to such a small child no less." He shook his head sadly. From his examination, there was no doubt that the girl previously possessed the supreme heavenly dantian... One of the most powerful cultivation talents, but someone stole it away. Then cast her away to die in this dangerous place. Yet, against all odds, she was still holding on to life at this stage. It went to show that this child wasn't ordinary.
A conflict could be seen raging within the old man's eyes as he stared down at the girl. But then his gaze firmed and he cautiously picked up the girl. Using his Qigong, his image became a blur as he flew through the trees at superhuman speed.