"Tsk tsk tsk! Look at that trash—coming to the Awakening Altar every single day… I bet he's completely lost his sense of shame!"
"Lower your voice! Even if he's trash, he's still the only son of the Phoenix Emperor!"
"Hmph! What's the use of being called a Prince when his meridians have already been declared defective?!"
All the youths gathered around the Bloodline Awakening Altar were mocking a handsome young man who was once again trying his luck. Although he was irritated by hearing the same insults day after day, Xiao Chen continued to try. Yet fate never granted him the chance to become a cultivator.
Every time he came to the Awakening Altar, he failed without exception. But this time, he suddenly felt a powerful energy surging from within his body.
'Will I succeed this time?' Xiao Chen asked himself.
However, in the next instant, his eyes widened violently. At the exact location of his meridians, it felt as if he had been struck by an overwhelming punch. This strange phenomenon was the very reason for his repeated failures. A mouthful of bright red blood spurted from his lips—he had failed to awaken his bloodline once again.
"Uuughhh!"
"Hahahaha! See? I told you—he really is trash! I think he's come here hundreds of times already, yet the result is always the same!"
"That's right! Trash will always be trash!"
Amid the crowd of youths ridiculing Xiao Chen, a black silhouette wearing a mask suddenly appeared beside him.
At once, all the youths fell silent.
Xiao Chen initially thought his uncle had come to comfort him. However, the sorrow in the middle-aged man's eyes was impossible to conceal.
"Uncle… are you here just to console me?"
The masked man shook his head. With a trembling voice, he could only say,
"Y-your mother and f-father… have been killed…"
Boom!
Xiao Chen felt as if his heart had stopped beating. His body trembled uncontrollably. Wanting to confirm the news, he immediately ran back toward the main palace of the Phoenix Empire.
Fifteen minutes later, inside the main palace.
Dozens of imperial officials had already gathered, all staring at Xiao Chen with the same sorrowful expressions.
Ignoring their reactions, Xiao Chen rushed forward and saw a beautiful woman in a white gown lying lifeless before him.
"M-Mother… Mother!" Xiao Chen cried bitterly. After a brief glance at his mother's body, he desperately searched for his father.
"W-where is my father's body?! Where is it?!" Xiao Chen screamed madly.
Swuuuuush!
His uncle appeared beside him and tightly embraced his trembling body. With a hoarse voice, he said,
"Your father's body is still in the Sky Hall… The powerful figures there stopped me from bringing both of your parents back. I could only retrieve your mother's body. Chen'er… forgive your uncle…"
"The Sky Hall…" Xiao Chen muttered. "What kind of place is it, exactly?"
His voice turned ice-cold.
His expression became completely blank, yet deep within his eyes burned an unmistakable desire for revenge.
"Chen'er, the Sky Hall is no ordinary place… It's where the most powerful figures gather. You must abandon such thoughts… Even your uncle…"
"Uhuuuk!"
Xiao Yan spat out a mouthful of blood.
Though he appeared fine on the surface, his uncle had suffered severe internal injuries while escaping with Xiao Chen's mother's body from the hands of the Sky Hall's rulers. Seeing this, Xiao Chen panicked, and soon after, he lost consciousness.
Elsewhere, news of the deaths of the Phoenix Emperor and Empress spread rapidly across the Sky Continent. Some rejoiced, while others mourned deeply. After all, the Phoenix Emperor had been known as a benevolent ruler.
One hour later, Xiao Chen regained consciousness. His uncle sat beside him, greeting him gently.
"Chen'er…"
"Uncle… what actually happened?"
Xiao Yan was about to explain what had occurred in the Sky Hall when shock suddenly appeared in his eyes. He sensed thousands of spiritual auras surrounding the Phoenix Empire. Explosions echoed throughout the entire imperial territory.
Dhuaaar!
"Chen'er… it seems they've come for something your parents kept. Do you know what artifact they possessed?"
"An artifact? Uncle, I don't understand…"
"Chen'er, think carefully. If you hand it over, perhaps they'll leave."
Xiao Chen fell silent before pulling out a necklace his mother had given him. After examining it briefly, Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed as he analyzed it.
'Could this jade pendant truly contain stellar energy…?'
Regaining his composure, Xiao Yan said,
"Chen'er, stay in your room."
"Yes, Uncle!"
Swuuuuush!
Xiao Yan vanished from sight after obtaining what he needed. Yet this only deepened Xiao Chen's anxiety. After losing his parents, there was now only one person who truly cared for him.
"No… I can't just stay here."
Ignoring his uncle's words, Xiao Chen left his residence.
The moment he saw hundreds of men floating in the sky, his eyes widened—not in fear, but because his uncle lay collapsed on the ground after receiving a devastating strike straight to the heart.
"U-Uncle…"
"Chen'er… go… Uncle can't protect you any… longer…"
Xiao Yan's words came to an abrupt halt.
"W-where is the Phoenix Army?! Where are they all?! Why hasn't anyone come to help?! Are they blind?!" Xiao Chen shouted in fury.
One of the men hovering in the sky smiled faintly when he realized the youth screaming below was the sole heir of the Phoenix Empire.
"Aren't you Xiao Chen? The crippled youth who can't cultivate? Do you miss your uncle… and your parents?"
"Y-you…!" Xiao Chen clenched his jaw.
In the blink of an eye, the man vanished and reappeared behind him.
"If you miss them so much, then meet the King of Hell!"
He struck Xiao Chen's back with his palm.
BOOOOOM!
Lacking any foundation in martial arts, Xiao Chen could only be sent flying, crashing heavily into the wall of a massive building behind him.
"What are you waiting for? Destroy this empire and search for the Stellar Soul!"
Swuuuuush!
BOOOOOM! BOOOOOM!
Like a rain of calamity, thousands of Qi-based attacks descended, reducing the entire Phoenix Empire to scorched ruins. Though his bones felt shattered after the palm strike, Xiao Chen forced himself to stand and charge toward the veiled man before him.
Yet again and again, his punches were effortlessly broken.
Another devastating blow struck his right chest.
BOOOOOM!
"Uuugh!"
Xiao Chen vomited blood, utterly powerless as his consciousness slowly faded into darkness.