Chapter 1: The Sword Has Come!

In a dim dungeon, the air was thick with the stench of rot and blood.

Only a single oil lamp hung from the wall, casting a weak, trembling glow.

A drop of water, falling from somewhere unseen, landed on Ye Xiao’s unconscious brow. The icy chill made him slowly open his eyes.

"It hurts... it hurts so much!"

His dry lips parted slightly, and he felt as though every part of his body was aching.

Many of his wounds had already scabbed over, but several gashes deep enough to expose bone were still seeping blood.

His hands were bound by two iron chains, leaving him utterly unable to move.

Ye Xiao tried to circulate the profound energy within him, hoping to rely on his third-level Profound Realm strength to break free.

Alas, in his gravely injured state, he could not bring out even a fraction of his power and could only abandon the attempt in bitter helplessness.

At that moment, the sound of footsteps drew near. Ye Xiao struggled to lift his head, and there he saw someone he loathed beyond measure walking toward him with a smile.

Two servants opened the cell door, and the man stood at the entrance, gazing at Ye Xiao with a beaming expression.

"Ye Xiao, did you sleep well last night?"

Looking at the harmless smile on that face, Ye Xiao’s once-calm features twisted with fury.

He opened his mouth and growled hoarsely, "Xu Xiao! You beast! Where have you taken my sister?!"

Xu Xiao let out a soft chuckle and said in a low voice, "Oh? You mean that sister of yours who possesses the immortal bone?"

With that, he waved toward the people behind him. "Come, bring our young master Ye’s sister over so they can be reunited."

Soon, two men dressed in black came forward, supporting a woman between them.

When they reached the cell door, the two roughly hurled the woman inside, as if she had already fallen unconscious.

"There. Your sister’s here."

Ye Xiao turned his head with great difficulty and looked at the woman in the white dress on the ground. Her clothes were in disarray, and her body was covered with wounds.

The once-snow-white dress was now stained red in many places, a ghastly crimson.

The most severe injury was likely the vicious wound nearly three inches long across her chest, still bleeding without stop.

"Yanran! Yanran, wake up!"

Ye Xiao struggled violently and shouted, but the woman gave no response at all.

"What have you done to her! What have you done to her?!"

A playful smile appeared at the corners of Xu Xiao’s mouth.

"What did we do? Can’t you see for yourself?" He stepped into the cell slowly and said with a light laugh, "The young master took a liking to the immortal bone within her, yet this little bitch dared to resist. We had no choice but to teach her a lesson."

As he spoke, he leaned closer to Ye Xiao.

"I have to say, your sister really is something. Very soft."

"Ah! Beast! You beasts!"

Ye Xiao suddenly lunged forward, trying to bite Xu Xiao, but the latter dodged.

"She’s still just a child! How could you do such a thing! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill all of you!"

"Kill you all!!!"

"Waaah... Yanran! I’ll kill you all!"

In the end, Ye Xiao’s furious roar gradually faded, sinking into a low, broken sob.

His eyes were red as blood, his chest rising and falling wildly. Tears streamed from his eyes, and his body could not stop trembling.

Looking at his sister’s faint breathing on the ground, it felt as though his heart... was dying too.

Seeing Ye Xiao’s devastated state, Xu Xiao’s smile remained unchanged as he said calmly, "By now, the young master has acquired one immortal bone, but he still lacks one weapon."

"I hear your Ye family possessed a sword inherited for a hundred years. Is that true? Can you tell me where it is? I searched all night that day and never found it."

Ye Xiao said nothing, still staring at Ye Yanran lying on the ground.

Xu Xiao frowned, and his voice turned cold in an instant.

"Not speaking? Men, drag this little bitch away and throw her into the mass grave to feed the dogs!"

As soon as he finished, two servants stepped forward, grabbed Ye Yanran by the feet, and prepared to drag her out.

Only then did Ye Xiao’s expression change. Panic filled his face as he cried out, "Stop! Stop this!"

Xu Xiao sneered and waved a hand, and the two servants halted.

"Thought it through?"

After a brief silence, Ye Xiao said in a low voice, "Can you let me down? I want to stay with Yanran until the very end."

"Don’t you dare try any tricks!" Xu Xiao barked angrily.

Ye Xiao raised his head and looked at Xu Xiao. "Tricks? I’m just a worthless third-level Profound Realm cripple, and you’ve already beaten me to the brink of death."

"Under these circumstances, what tricks could I possibly play? I only want to spend my sister’s final moments with her. Is that too much to ask?"

Xu Xiao stared at him coldly. After a long silence, he said, "Take him down."

What Ye Xiao said made sense. His own strength was not high to begin with; let alone Xu Xiao, even the two servants by his side were fifth-level Profound Realm experts.

So he truly could not stir up any real trouble.

The iron chains on Ye Xiao’s hands were released, and his whole body collapsed at once. After being suspended here for days, even a man of iron would be nearing his limit.

Biting down on his teeth, Ye Xiao slowly crawled to Ye Yanran’s side and, with great effort, gathered her into his arms.

Xu Xiao looked on with a cold smile.

"I’ll give you one day. Tomorrow I’ll come again, and if you still refuse to talk, don’t blame me for being cruel."

With that, he turned and left. The cell door was locked once more.

"Yan’er, it’s all my fault. I’m worthless. I can’t protect you at all!"

Tears kept spilling from Ye Xiao’s eyes, sliding down his cheeks and dripping onto the pale, bloodless face in his arms.

He reached out and gently stroked Ye Yanran’s hair, remembering what had happened before.

Just half a month ago, after learning that his sister hid an immortal bone within her body, the entire Ye family had been ecstatic.

One must know that an immortal bone meant that, so long as its bearer did not die young, they would certainly become a super-expert capable of shaking an entire region.

Even reaching that vague and distant imperial realm was not impossible.

While everyone was still cheering with joy, the unexpected happened.

The young master of the Xu family somehow learned the news, brought his men to assault their door, and within one night the entire Ye family was slaughtered to the last person.

In the chaos, Ye Xiao and Ye Yanran escaped under the protection of an elder of the family.

Unfortunately, they were ultimately captured again five days ago.

Now, he was grievously wounded, and his sister had not only been violated but had the immortal bone ripped from her body. Her life had already reached its final hour.

Hatred burned in Ye Xiao’s heart.

He hated this world’s injustice. He hated the Xu family’s ruthlessness. Most of all, he hated his own helplessness.

Drop after drop of tears fell in silence, and in the end they turned to blood. Ye Xiao’s eyes gradually lost all light.

What lay before him grew blurrier and blurrier, until at last his eyes were a sheet of red.

He... could no longer see at all.

The instant Ye Xiao went blind, a sudden change occurred.

The profound energy within his body actually began to circulate on its own, following his cultivation method!

And faster, and faster still!

A few breaths later, the wildly surging profound energy suddenly came to a halt.

Then, impossibly, it began to reverse!

At that very instant, Ye Xiao’s heart jolted, as though something far away was calling to him.

Sensing something in his heart, Ye Xiao subconsciously lifted his head, his blind eyes turning toward a certain direction.

A moment later, two words gently escaped his lips.

Sword... come!