Chapter 1: A Grave Mistake

"Run! Run, Brother!"

"We’ll find you wherever you run to. That, I assure you!"

Several cultivators laughed, the sound of their voices echoing in the forest, as the wingbeats of an enormous crane made the trees around it sway.

Far below, the forest was vast and mysterious, its canopy forming a heavy blanket over the land, preventing the moonlight from sneaking through. Dense mist curled along the roots, and ancient spirits were already fleeing the disturbance in the air.

The beings that soared above the forest on the wings of the crane were definitely not ordinary cultivators.

No, they were dragon cultivators. Imperial dragons to be precise, belonging to the prestigious Vermilion Grotto-Heaven.

But tonight, those two had stopped pretending to be brothers.

Tonight, they had banded together for one reason, and one reason only.

To kill their bother.

Their most hated rival.

Ao Kuiba.

The mere mention of the name sent shivers down the spine of many cultivators of the Vermilion Grotto-Heaven.

Ao Kuiba was the most feared, ruthless, arrogant, and powerful cultivator in the younger generation. He was also the most probable contender for the position of the next Dragon Emperor.

His reputation alone was enough to turn the stomachs of many warriors. It had cost him his friends, and drawn the hatred of his peers.

It wasn’t his vast resources, the formidable faction at his command, or even the powerful bloodline running in his veins that made him so dangerous. It was simply the fact that Ao Kuiba was a prodigy of unfathomable proportions, a genius who had appeared once in a thousand years.

Ao Kuiba was the kind of cultivator who had reached the peak of cultivation in three different paths simultaneously. It took ordinary cultivators a whole lifetime to reach the peak in just one path. Two at the very most, and even then, they were considered madmen for attempting it.

Cultivating the three paths had taken Ao Kuiba a lifetime as well, but apparently, not a single day more than that.

The balance in his body had been perfect, his power overwhelming. Each step forward in one path had pushed the other two by equal measure. His body, his Qi and, most importantly, his soul, all kept in perfect synchronization.

His foundation was perfect. His comprehension was terrifying. His rate of cultivation was unfathomable. And his might in battle? Simply monstrous.

He was what many cultivators of old called a Perfect Cultivator.

And there was no one in the entire world that could match him in terms of battle.

His presence alone was enough to inspire awe in many, and kill thousands. Even his own brothers in the Vermilion Grotto-Heaven envied his power and feared his strength.

The succession war between the imperial dragons had already started long ago, and Ao Kuiba was undoubtedly one of the strongest contenders for the throne. Every single one of his brothers wanted him dead, and the majority of the dragon factions were already working tirelessly to ensure that goal. The assassins they sent to kill Ao Kuiba were nothing compared to the vast resources and the power they were willing to bring to bear against the young prodigy.

They knew very well that if the succession war began, and Ao Kuiba won it fairly and honestly, he would most likely become the next Dragon Emperor.

The elders of the Vermilion Grotto-Heaven knew it. The other imperial dragon factions knew it. Ao Kuiba’s own brothers knew it, as did Ao Kuiba himself.

That is why they all decided to cheat.

Ao Kuiba’s own brothers contacted rival factions and promised them treasures beyond imagination for the kill. They even tempted cultivators that would have hesitated to assassinate Ao Kuiba with vast resources and opportunities to prosper within the Vermilion Grotto-Heaven.

For the first time in centuries, the enemies of the Vermilion Grotto-Heaven united under a single goal, one shared purpose, to kill Ao Kuiba. They all agreed on one single thing. Ao Kuiba had to die. They finally got their chance three days ago.

They used a rare poison extracted from the body of an ancient primordial snake to kill Ao Kuiba. Not even the strongest of the imperial dragons would be able to withstand such a powerful toxin. Ao Kuiba himself had accidentally ingested it during a banquet, and by the time he realized what had happened, it was already too late. His cultivation power was suppressed, his body failing him.

His body had become corrupted, unable to sustain his powerful soul. His meridians had been disrupted, making it impossible for him to control his Qi, and even his formidable foundation had cracked and shattered.

That was when Ao Kuiba’s brothers decided to finish him off.

They attacked him, dozens of the strongest warriors of the Vermilion Grotto-Heaven chasing after him, trying to kill him. But Ao Kuiba had fought back, killing dozens of them before finally managing to escape from his home territory. He had fought his way past the first mountain range and destroyed the formation guarding the next, before finally entering the Forbidden Forest in order to shake off his pursuers. The chase had been long and tiresome, and for three days Ao Kuiba had evaded his killers.

But they had caught up with him nonetheless. Right now, somewhere within the depths of the forest, Ao Kuiba was running for his life.

"Brother!"

A woman’s voice rang out from the trees, causing the wind to pause for a moment.

"You’ve always been so arrogant!"

Another one of Ao Kuiba’s pursuers laughed.

"You should have known that nobody wanted you to become the next Dragon Emperor!"

Their voices echoed in the forest as the jade-feathered crane landed between the trees. Several figures stood on its back, their golden scales peeking out from their robes, their dragon horns piercing through their skulls. Their eyes were filled with bloodlust and loathing, focused on the trees from which Ao Kuiba had just escaped.

The young man standing in the front wore a crimson imperial robe. He looked quite handsome, if one ignored the cruel smile plastered on his face. "Come out, Kuiba," he said, his voice echoing in the forest. "Your cultivation is ruined, and you’ve been running for three days. We have no more patience."

He paused, staring into the darkness for a moment, before his smile widened.

"You can’t run forever."

Silence answered his call, save for the rustling of the leaves.

The youth’s smile twitched, turning into a grim look.

"Search the forest," he ordered, and the others immediately obeyed.

Suddenly, a loud explosion resonated from several hundred meters to the left, sending shockwaves across the land. It caused several of the trees to burst into two, sending the hunters reeling in surprise. They stared at the thick cloud of smoke rising from where the explosion had occurred, then looked toward the trees Ao Kuiba had vanished into.

A figure stumbled out of the smoke, his body covered in blood, an arm dangling uselessly at his side. His long, black hair was also stained with blood, but his golden dragon eyes still shone with light and vitality.

Ao Kuiba stood among the broken trees, looking at the dozen or so cultivators that had come to kill him.

"You people really are annoying," he murmured, wiping some blood from the corner of his mouth as a faint smile graced his lips.

The killers froze, one of them staring at Ao Kuiba in shock.

"You’re still standing?"

Ao Kuiba raised his head, looking at the cultivators. "The poison running through my veins turned them all black," he said quietly. He looked at his brothers before his smile widened. "I can feel how strong you all are. You’ve all come to kill me."

He gently raised his broken arm, and cracks formed on his skin. The dragon scales slowly grew on his arm, knitting the broken bones together. Ao Kuiba’s wounds healed before the cultivators’ eyes. He looked at them, his smile vanishing. "So I suppose I should return the favour."

The forest seemed to hush as the killers listened to Ao Kuiba’s words. Even the hidden beasts in the darkness held their breath. Because at that moment, all of them realized something.

They had spent three days hunting a dying dragon, and perhaps, they had made a grave mistake.