Death Cultivator : Rise For Revenge!

Chapter 2

Huo Tian Xian has returned…

Those four words became the most terrifying whisper to haunt every corner of the city following the carnage at the tavern. It was said that Huo Tian Xian had dragged away the group of men who had dared to mock his family, vanishing into the shadows once more.

No one knew where he had gone, but the mere news of his arrival sent shockwaves through the local power structures.

CRASH!

Meng Jiu Ning, the Patriarch of the Meng Clan, slammed his jade wine cup onto the floor in a fit of rage. Fragments of porcelain sprayed across the hall. Below him, the disciples of the Meng Clan bowed their heads in fear, trembling under the oppressive aura radiating from their leader within the Hall of the Sacred Blade.

"Nothing but useless rumors!" Meng Jiu Ning bellowed, his voice echoing like thunder. "That night, I personally ordered you to dump that worthless wretch’s body in the mass graves! If he has 'risen,' it only means he wasn't dead enough the first time!"

"Patriarch... what if... what if he has undergone reincarnation?" one subordinate stammered.

"Have you lost your mind?!" Meng Jiu Ning snapped, his fury intensifying. "Reincarnation? For him? He was a failed disciple, a weakling unfit to lead! I did the cultivation world a favor by wiping out the Huo Clan. To let them live would have been an insult to our craft!"

Silence fell over the hall. No one dared to breathe. Meng Jiu Ning rose from his throne, pacing around the long table with his hands on his hips, his face twisted in a mask of arrogance.

"Huo Tian Xian... even his name sounds too grand for a dog like him. He was a waste of space," Meng Jiu Ning sneered, letting out a dark chuckle. "I wonder what the former Huo Patriarch was thinking, giving such a lofty name to a disappointment."

The sound of soft, hesitant footsteps broke the tension. A frail young woman entered the hall, carrying a tray of refreshments. Walking beside her with a regal, haughty stride was Qin Niang, Meng Jiu Ning’s wife.

"My dear, what brings you here?" Meng Jiu Ning’s voice softened instantly as he stepped forward to greet his wife.

"I’ve heard the whispers," Qin Niang replied coldly, taking her seat on the throne beside him.

As she sat, the frail girl—her servant—knelt beside the table with puffy, swollen eyes. With trembling hands, she began to serve the tea and snacks.

Meng Jiu Ning cast a venomous look at the girl. His eyes were filled with deep-seated malice and disdain. This was Huo Li Yu, the eldest daughter of the Huo Clan and the former Young Mistress. Now, she was nothing more than a slave in the house of her family's executioners.

She hadn't chosen this life out of a fear of death. She had chosen it for the sliver of a chance to survive—to one day exact her revenge, even though her spiritual meridians were too weak for true cultivation.

"Hmph. It’s just a ghost story," Meng Jiu Ning laughed, glancing at his silent wife. "Don't worry yourself. It’s impossible for someone like him to return so quickly. His corpse was tossed into the Black Forest mass graves. No one survives that place. He isn't coming back."

Qin Niang stared down at Huo Li Yu, who remained kneeling, her gaze fixed firmly on the floor.

"Go. Clean the kitchen!" Qin Niang barked.

Huo Li Yu nodded submissively. She offered a shallow bow to the couple before rising and walking away, her head bowed and her hands clenched tightly against her stomach. Every step she took was met with mocking glares from the disciples, but she kept her eyes down, refusing to give them the satisfaction of seeing her pain.

Behind her, Meng Jiu Ning’s voice continued to drift through the hall. "Huo Tian Xian was a weakling. These 'reports' from the tavern are nothing but trash! If he were truly alive, why hasn't he come for me? Why hasn't he demanded justice for his parents?"

Huo Li Yu stopped just outside the hall, leaning against a cold stone wall. Her heart hammered against her ribs at the mention of her brother's name.

"Who’s to say he isn't preparing his revenge?" Qin Niang’s voice rose in a sharp reprimand. "You underestimate your enemies, Jiu Ning! That arrogance is exactly why I despise your judgment sometimes. If Huo Tian Xian has truly risen, must I see your corpse before you believe it?"

"My love, calm yourself," Meng Jiu Ning urged. "Even if he did return, a weakling starting from scratch is no threat. I am at the Fifth Stage of Cultivation. It would take him lifetimes to reach my level. Besides, we own everything now—the Huo estates, their training grounds, their legacies. He has nothing left to fight with."

Hidden in the shadows of the corridor, Huo Li Yu wept silently. Her body felt heavy, her spirit crushed by his mockery. She remembered the sight of her parents’ slaughter, the way her brother's body was dragged away, and the horrific rumors of the hounds feasting on her kin.

"Father, Mother... Xian..." she whispered, her voice breaking into a sob. "I am all that’s left. I don't know how much longer I can carry this burden. Xian... if you are truly alive, please... save me. Even if it’s a miracle... I cannot do this alone."

Her body was covered in hidden bruises beneath her tattered robes, but the agony in her heart far outweighed any physical pain.

BOOM!

A violent explosion rocked the manor. Huo Li Yu gasped as the massive front gates of the Meng Estate were blown off their hinges. Three Meng guards were sent flying across the courtyard, their bodies hitting the ground with sickening thuds.

The entire estate instantly erupted into a state of high alert.

Sling—!

Huo Li Yu’s eyes widened in shock as a sudden, brilliant crimson light surged toward her. Before she could scream, the energy wrapped around her waist and hoisted her into the air, pulling her toward the top of the gatehouse with terrifying speed.

"Aaaah! Help me! Someone help!"

In the courtyard below, the Meng disciples panicked. Streaks of crimson and obsidian energy rained down from the sky, shattering the stone pavement and tearing through the ranks of the defenders.

"Intruder! We are under attack!"