Lianghuan Mountain, Jueyun Cliff — the foremost of the four most malevolent places in the Cangyun Continent. Beneath Jueyun Cliff lies what is called the "graveyard of death gods." Over countless years, an innumerable number of people have fallen from Jueyun Cliff, including three immensely powerful Heavenly King-level experts. Yet, not a single soul has ever returned alive.
At this moment, by the edge of Jueyun Cliff, leaning against a boulder as tall as two men stood a young man with black hair and dark eyes. He was drenched in blood, his pitch-black robes torn with countless wounds. In just a few breaths, a small pool of blood had gathered beneath his feet. His chest heaved violently, his heavy breathing terrifyingly loud, and every muscle in his body trembled slightly—indicating that he was utterly exhausted, almost on the brink of collapse. If it weren't for the boulder beside him, he might not even be able to stand. However, his eyes were cold and sharp like twin blades, radiating a wolf-like ferocity without a trace of confusion. At the corner of his lips, a faint sneer of mockery and disdain curved upward.
In front of him, a dense crowd blocked all possible escape routes.
"Yun Che, you are out of options! Hand over the Tian Du Zhu (Heavenly Poison Pearl) willingly, and we might spare your life!"
"Today, we will act on behalf of heaven to eliminate you, this menace! Quickly hand over the Tian Du Zhu, and I'll grant you a swift death. Otherwise, you will endure the torment of ten thousand blades piercing your heart!"
"Yun Che! Cease your stubbornness. Your only way out now is to hand over the Tian Du Zhu! Such a divine artifact does not belong in your possession!!"
Roars echoed from the crowd, each voice filled with self-righteous indignation and righteousness. If any random person from the Cangyun Continent happened to pass by at this moment, they would be left speechless by the sight before them: the vast sea of people represented nearly all the strongest sects of the Cangyun Continent. The leaders of these sects were present in person, and even some ancient figures who had been in seclusion for years, long forgotten by others, were among them. It was no exaggeration to say that any one of these individuals could shake an entire region as superhuman experts.
Now, however, they had all gathered here for the sole purpose of the man standing on the edge of Jueyun Cliff—or more accurately, for the Tian Du Zhu in his possession—the first divine artifact of the Cangyun Continent!
The crowd alternated between threats and shouts while slowly advancing. When the Tian Du Zhu finally reappeared, these mighty experts at the pinnacle of the continent surged forward irresistibly, driven by the irresistible allure of its immense power. After three days and three nights of relentless pursuit, the moment to reap their reward had finally arrived.
"You... want this... Tian Du Zhu?"
Yun Che sneered, slowly raising his right hand. A jade-green orb, dimly glowing, appeared in his palm. The moment the pearl emitted its light, everyone froze in place, their eyes fixed greedily on the green glow.
These so-called world-shaking experts appeared nothing more than pitiful and ugly in Yun Che's eyes. His gaze tilted arrogantly despite his dire situation, his pupils brimming with deep-seated hatred: "My master spent his life healing the sick and saving lives, asking for no fame or profit. But because of this Tian Du Zhu, seven years ago, you so-called righteous sects... forced my master to his death."
"I hate... I hate myself for being powerless, and in seven whole years, I couldn't exterminate all of your worthless sects!"
Every word was imbued with profound hatred. Even after seven years, thinking about his master's tragic death still caused tears of blood to stream down his temples.
Yun Che did not know who his parents were. His master found him when he was just a few days old. On that spring day, surrounded by serene clouds and clear waters, his master named him "Yun Che," hoping that his nature would remain as pure as clouds and as clear as water. He wished for Yun Che to inherit his legacy and become a healer who saved lives and kept his heart untainted.
Under his master's hands, even the most severe illnesses and injuries healed peacefully. The reason? The hidden power of the Tian Du Zhu. Though its name implied immense toxicity, poison and medicine share the same origin. His master never utilized its toxic potential but instead harnessed its ability to extract and refine, creating countless sacred medicines that saved countless lives. He imparted all of his medical knowledge to Yun Che. Seven years ago, the secret of the Tian Du Zhu was exposed. His master gave it to Yun Che and told him to flee, sacrificing himself to the hands of various sects.
Upon hearing the news of his master's death, Yun Che cried for three days and three nights, planting the seeds of vengeance in his heart. He abandoned his studies of medicine and began to absorb the terrifying toxic energy within the Tian Du Zhu. Revenge became his sole belief. Seven years later, his poisonous skills reached their peak, and he unleashed his vengeful fangs. Within ten days, his poison spread across a thousand miles, claiming countless lives. This caused chaos and panic throughout the Cangyun Continent, drawing the covetous attention of the peak experts who joined forces to hunt Yun Che for the Tian Du Zhu... until this very moment.
Glaring at everyone in sight with resentment, Yun Che laughed colder and colder. "You bastards, wanting the Tian Du Zhu in my hand... you're dreaming in broad daylight!!"
As his low voice faded, Yun Che suddenly raised his hand and smashed the Tian Du Zhu into his mouth. With a burst of energy, the pearl shot straight into his abdomen...
"You... what are you going to do?!"
"He actually... swallowed the Tian Du Zhu!"
"Yun Che! Have you lost your mind?!"
"It doesn't matter. We'll just kill him and retrieve the pearl!"
After the Tian Du Zhu entered his body, Yun Che did not succumb to overwhelming poison and die instantly as they expected. Instead, a faint emerald glow emanated from his skin.
"Kill him immediately! If the Tian Du Zhu undergoes any strange changes inside his body, it will be disastrous!"
A roar erupted, and more than a dozen people rushed toward Yun Che simultaneously. Yun Che let out a manic laugh at the sight of those he wanted to grind into dust, his voice hoarse and weak but full of pride: "I couldn't kill you, and you won't kill me either! You scum don't deserve the Tian Du Zhu, nor do you have the right to take my life. Even if I die... I will only die by my own hand! Hahahaha..."
With a wild laugh, Yun Che released all his remaining strength and leaped backward...
"Stop him!!!"
Realizing Yun Che's intent, cries of alarm rang out. Five or six hands reached out toward him, but they couldn't even touch his shadow. They could only watch helplessly as his body plummeted straight down into the abyss below Jueyun Cliff...
Jueyun Cliff truly suits as the burial place for someone like me, Yun Che...
In this lifetime, I have no regrets, except... I failed to avenge my master, and I never found my biological parents...
Yun Che gently grasped the silver pendant hanging from his chest. It was the only thing he had been carrying when his master found him. As the wind howled in his ears, he slowly closed his eyes, letting his body fall into the seemingly endless darkness below...
Yun Che's consciousness gradually awakened.
What happened... Could it be that I'm still alive? I clearly fell off Jueyun Cliff—how could I possibly still be alive! And there's no pain in my body… not even a hint of discomfort. What is going on?
In an instant, Yun Che opened his eyes and sat up quickly, only to find himself lying on a soft, large bed. Above the bed hung a deep red canopy, creating a festive atmosphere.
"Ah! Xiao Che! You... you're awake!"
A surprised and joyful female voice rang by his ear, followed by the appearance of a girl's delicate face within his line of sight.
She appeared to be around fifteen or sixteen years old, dressed in a long emerald-green gown. Her tender complexion was as smooth as snow, her rosy lips bright and alluring, her petite nose dainty and cute. Her beautiful eyes sparkled with deep joy, like a crystal-clear pool of water, clear and transparent, charmingly innocent. Her entire face exuded a gentle and radiant beauty, and even at such a young age, her elegance hinted at how breathtakingly beautiful she would become when grown.
Seeing this girl so close, Yun Che was momentarily stunned, and without thinking, three words slipped out: "Auntie?"
The girl raised her snow-white wrist, placing her jade-like hand on Yun Che's forehead. Her expression relaxed further as she said happily, "Your temperature has almost returned to normal. That's great—I was nearly scared to death just now. Xiao Che, do you feel any discomfort anywhere on your body?"
Faced with the girl's deeply concerned gaze, Yun Che shook his head somewhat blankly, his mind completely detached.
"You should rest for a while. I'll go tell Grandpa right away. Today is your big day, and when you suddenly fainted, your grandpa almost went crazy. He personally went out to invite Master Situ."
In her haste, the girl didn't notice the unusual expression on Yun Che's face. She pressed his shoulder gently, making him lie back down, then hurriedly left.
The door closed, and Yun Che sat up again from the bed, clutching his head with both hands.
This place was one of the seven countries of the Tianxuan Continent—the easternmost small city of Cangfeng Empire, known as Liuyun City. And he... he was Xiao Che, the only grandson of Elder Five of the Xiao family in Liuyun City. He had just turned sixteen.
This was his current identity.
His memories overlapped with the over twenty years of memories from the Cangyun Continent, leaving him momentarily disoriented.
I am Xiao Che... but what about the memories of the Cangyun Continent?
Could it be that after dying in the Cangyun Continent, I have reincarnated into this body?
No! I am clearly Xiao Che! Everything in this room feels incredibly familiar. All the memories from childhood are crystal clear, everything I've experienced firsthand—it can't possibly be someone else's memory!
Could it be that everything from the Cangyun Continent was merely a dream? A dream that ended when I fell off Jueyun Cliff?
But the memories of the Cangyun Continent are also vividly clear... those twenty-four years of grudges and emotions—how could they possibly be a dream?
What is truly happening here?
Yun Che—or rather, Xiao Che—after being dazed for a moment, his eyes finally calmed, and his thoughts slowly became clearer.
It was early morning, and the sky outside was still dim. Today was the day of his wedding to Xia Qingyue. Fifteen minutes ago, his aunt woke him up, dressing him in a red wedding robe. Then she served him a bowl of porridge she had prepared herself. After drinking it, he suddenly felt weak all over—and then he knew nothing until now.
At this moment, a strange taste lingered on his lips. Xiao Che lightly pressed his lips together, and his face immediately changed slightly.
This is... Shixin Powder!!
During the years on the Cangyun Continent, Yun Che, who possessed the Tian Du Zhu (Heavenly Poison Pearl), was well-versed in every kind of poison in the world. There was no poison he didn't know, and with just a light sniff, he could instantly identify its name and composition. Moreover, with the Tian Du Zhu, he was immune to all poisons, rendering even the most potent ones harmless to him.
Shixin Powder is made from Juexun Grass and Ziwenviolet, dissolving colorlessly and odorlessly in water. Once ingested, it takes only a few seconds to rob a person of life, killing them instantly. The corpse wouldn't even show any signs of poisoning.
Xiao Che's eyes darkened as he instantly understood.
So, he wasn't unconscious earlier; the porridge he drank contained Shixin Powder, which poisoned and killed him. After death, he reincarnated, born on the Cangyun Continent. After falling off Jueyun Cliff on the Cangyun Continent... he somehow reincarnated back into his previous body just moments after his death!
Though this sounded utterly absurd, it was the only explanation Xiao Che could think of.
Wait... if that's the case, why am I unharmed despite having touched Shixin Powder just now, given that my current body lacks any resistance to poison?
A faint sensation came from his left palm, prompting Xiao Che to raise his left hand. To his astonishment, a green circular mark was imprinted on his palm.
The shape, color, and size of this mark were identical to the Tian Du Zhu!
Before falling off Jueyun Cliff, in a desperate situation, he had swallowed the Tian Du Zhu, unaware of the consequences. Now, this mark on his hand seemed to indicate that the Tian Du Zhu had somehow followed him through time and space!
"The Tian Du Zhu..." Staring at the mark resembling the Tian Du Zhu, Xiao Che muttered unconsciously.
As his voice faded, the green mark on his palm suddenly emitted a bright green glow. His vision blurred momentarily, and his brain experienced a slight dizziness, causing him to instinctively close his eyes. When he opened them again, the world around him had transformed into an endless sea of green.
This green world stretched endlessly, filled with the faint aura unique to the Tian Du Zhu. After a moment of shock, Xiao Che finally realized that his spirit had entered the internal world of the Tian Du Zhu.
So, the Tian Du Zhu actually contains such a vast world inside! Even more astonishingly, despite swallowing it recklessly, the Tian Du Zhu had followed him across dimensions and seemingly integrated with his body!
If I can enter, I must be able to leave as well.
Xiao Che closed his eyes and focused his willpower. Instantly, the green world around him rapidly dispersed. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself back in the familiar room.
Looking at the pale green mark on his palm, Xiao Che couldn't help but smile faintly... Though he didn't understand why such an incredible event had occurred, not only had he been reborn, but he retained the memories of two lifetimes. Perhaps, heaven itself pitied his tragic fate in both lives and bestowed upon him this rare opportunity for a second chance!
On the Cangyun Continent, Yun Che was relentlessly pursued by countless supreme experts. Although he ultimately perished, he single-handedly stirred up storms across the continent—a glorious legacy! However, his current body was... ordinary, to say the least—frankly, it was worthless.
In the Tianxuan Continent, spiritual power reigned supreme. Although Xiao Che was born into the Xiao family, the grandson of Xiao Lie, the strongest fifth elder of the Xiao clan, he was already sixteen years old, yet his spiritual power remained stuck at the first level of the Initial Spirit Realm. From the age of seven and a half, he had started cultivating spiritual energy. At eight, he reached the first level of the Initial Spirit Realm, but for the next eight years, he made absolutely no progress, becoming a laughingstock within the Xiao family. Later, Xiao Lie invited Situ Yun, the top physician of Liuyun City, to examine his body. The diagnosis was shocking—he suffered from congenital bloodline damage, severe enough that it was almost impossible to repair. In this state, Xiao Che would remain forever at the first level of the Initial Spirit Realm, no matter how hard he tried, making any advancement impossible.
Even if he trained himself to death, he would forever remain at the first level of the Initial Spirit Realm. Such a person in the Tianxuan Continent would undoubtedly be among the lowest ranks, becoming a huge joke within the Xiao family. If it weren't for his grandfather Xiao Lie, the strongest expert in the Xiao family and all of Liuyun City, no one would even spare him a glance.
As one of the three major cultivation families in Liuyun City, the Xiao family boasted countless strong individuals, with talented youths emerging in each generation. Xiao Che was practically irrelevant among them—even if he died tomorrow, few would care. Yet today, someone had gone so far as to use the priceless, traceless poison Shixin Powder to kill him. The reason, Xiao Che now understood perfectly.
Because today was his wedding day with Xia Qingyue.
Xia Qingyue was the same age as him, also sixteen. But despite her young age, her spiritual power was rumored to have already reached the tenth level of the Initial Spirit Realm, on the verge of breaking through to the Intermediate Spirit Realm. Achieving such a level at sixteen made her the first in a hundred years in the Xia family, unmatched among the younger generation in all of Liuyun City. There were even rumors that if her progress continued, decades later, she might become the first person in the Xia family to reach the Earth Spirit Realm—or even the Heaven Spirit Realm, a realm no one in Liuyun City had dared to dream of in a hundred years!
More importantly, she wasn't just extraordinarily gifted—she was also stunningly beautiful, recognized as the first beauty of Liuyun City. Practically every eligible young man in Liuyun City lusted after her. If the Xia family held a marriage contest, the queue of suitors would stretch from the north gate to the south gate of Liuyun City.
And yet, this peerless prodigy, this paragon of talent and beauty, was marrying the most useless member of the Xiao family, someone with absolutely no potential for growth. Many in Liuyun City were furious, lamenting the injustice—this was like a proud lotus flower being planted in dung that no one even wanted to look at!
Those infatuated with Xia Qingyue naturally hated Xiao Che with jealousy and resentment. For someone to attempt to murder him now, Xiao Che thought, wasn't surprising at all.
"Truly, beauty brings calamity," Xiao Che muttered as he stood up from the bed. But thinking of Xia Qingyue's breathtaking beauty, he grinned: "Still, marrying a wife like this isn't such a bad start."