Rebirth Of The Betrayed Emperor

"Finally, time for ascension," Kael muttered, staring at the deep, dark clouds gathering rapidly right under his head.

Lightning flashed within, devouring the sky, dyeing the black clouds blue.

Kael watched, his blue irises perfectly reflecting the lightning; his long white hair flowed behind his back, while his robes fluttered along with the wind.

His expression was calm, but the slight tremor in his eyes betrayed his calm look.

As an Emperor, Kael stood at the very peak of cultivation, and now, he was finally about to ascend to what was believed to be a higher plane.

A plane where Emperors were nothing but ants. It was a legend; people who had ascended were fewer than the Phoenix feathers. And all those who had ascended never succeeded.

They were destroyed by their own tribulation lightning, and yet he was about to face the same lightning.

"Master!" Several voices called, forcing Kael to turn around as seven figures appeared before him.

Staring at the figures, Kael smiled gently. These were his disciples whom he had adopted and raised since they were little.

Each of them was a genius in their own right and was powerful, holding lofty status in the realm.

"Master, are you really ascending?" One of the figures broke the silence, her eyes watery as she gripped her sword tightly, rushing towards Kael.

"It's fine, Hazel," Kael smiled, patting Hazel's back lightly.

She was his youngest disciple and was the closest to him, and also Kael's most beloved disciple.

"Alright, I need to leave now," Kael spoke, disengaging from the hug. Caressing Hazel's hair and turning around, he saw the tribulation lightning was finally about to descend.

"Farewell, Master," the other disciples said in unison; their eyes flashed with an evil glint.

But Kael didn't seem to notice the glint in their eyes, nor the murderous tone concealed within their words.

Staring at the lightning flashing in the sky, Kael's brows narrowed slightly; indeed, this tribulation was far more than what he had witnessed. It was truly on another level.

But he didn't care; he had made enough preparations and was sure to be able to successfully complete it and ascend.

Without a word, the lightning, which was soaring around the sky, suddenly changed course and headed downwards, straight at Kael, signifying the start of the tribulation.

Without a second thought, Emperor Qi burst out from his body, ready to fend off the bolt of lightning, when suddenly he froze.

The next second, Kael bent forward, arching slightly and vomiting blood, his eyes widening in horror.

Instantly, he tried to circulate his Emperor's Qi, but it had gone stiff, unable to flow forward or backward.

Before Kael could think clearly, the tribulation lightning hit him, sending electric waves into his body and instantly charring his body. In a second, he was burnt nearly to death.

"Master!" Hazel screamed, her eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets as she rushed to help Kael.

But the moment she moved, a powerful aura suddenly descended, restricting her in place.

"Eldest brother, what are you doing?" Hazel panicked, her voice trembling as she struggled against the suppression.

“You’re still naive, little sister…” The elder brother, a tall man with a chin bone scar, chuckled, stepping forward with the other six disciples, their expressions extremely sinister as they approached the injured Kael.

"Did you poison me?" Kael managed to ask, his body trembling, his frozen Emperor Qi struggling, while his fists were clenched, staring daggers at this group of ungrateful disciples.

"Master, what do you think?" The eldest disciple grinned, showing his rows of white teeth as he stared at Kael.

Kael felt his heart sink, staring at his eldest disciple, not believing his ears. Back in the day, he had found him as a child; back then, he wasn't even a saint yet, and he had taken him in.

He had trained him, given him all kinds of resources, and protected him until he was strong enough to protect himself. And now he was turning against him?

"I..."

Before Kael could say anything, another bolt of lightning struck him, worsening his injuries and charring him further.

His frozen Emperor Qi didn't help matters as it was currently trying to revolt.

He was facing two external battles and one internal battle.

"Why... why did you do this?" Kael muttered, his tone filled with bitterness, staring at his disciple.

"If you hadn't been so stingy, Master, and kept that ancient technique from us, none of this would have happened," he laughed manically, glaring at Kael.

"But... but I told you that technique wasn't suitable for any of you, and if you were not careful, you'd end up on the evil path..." Kael managed to say, his heart completely shattering at the moment.

"You say the technique is not suitable for us, and yet you keep it for yourself, Master..." The eldest disciple sneered, his eyes holding contempt.

"If you had wanted, you could have let us take a peek, you could have given it to us; yet you refused, and now, you'll pay for that, Master."

"I..."

Before Kael could say anything, he coughed up blood again. At this moment, the rampaging Emperor's Qi in his body had destroyed all of his internal organs, completely destroying his body.

It had also started to extend to his soul, slowly eroding it, showing how powerful it was.

The tribulation lightning didn't help either, as the lightning struck once again, this time directly targeting his soul.

The tribulation lightning was of two stages: first the body, and then the soul. In his state, how could he defend against it?

The moment the lightning struck, Kael let out a loud scream, pain beyond anything he had ever endured.

At this moment, Kael was charred beyond recognition, his soul damaged, and he was barely alive.

Barely able to stand, he took a glance at the other disciples.

"Do you agree with him?" he asked slowly, trying to ignite a ray of hope.

But the disciples turned away, refusing to answer, showing their stance.

Kael coughed out blood, his body too weak to feel rage. His soul was damaged, and probably, with the help of the tribulation lightning, he would be wiped out of existence, never to be remembered again.

"Master!!!" A loud yell came from behind as Hazel struggled to move, trying to break free of her eldest brother's control.

"Master!" She yelled again, this time breaking down as she watched the lightning strike Kael repeatedly, tears flowing down her face.

The other disciples watched coldly, their eyes void of emotions. All they cared about was Kael's storage ring.

There were countless treasures and resources that would cause many experts to fight; most importantly, that lost, forbidden soul scripture.

Kael stared at his disciples watching coldly, and then at his youngest disciple, who was bawling her eyes out.

If he had known, he would have listened to her when she told him that her senior brothers and sisters were planning something and it had to do with him.

Well, maybe if he had a chance at a next life, he was never going to trust anyone again. If these people could betray him, then who wouldn't?

The lightning struck continuously, damaging his soul with each strike, and soon he lost consciousness.

The last thing he heard was... "Master… your existence blocks our path; please die and never come back."