Rebirth of the Fallen Master

The Night of Betrayal

"Finally, it's done."

Cu Ye stared at the golden pill inside the alchemy furnace, his hands trembling slightly. After thirty years of research, the Eternal Life Pill had finally been born.

Swiish!

Without hesitation, Cu Ye waved his hand. The shining pill floating above the furnace immediately flew toward him before entering the small porcelain bottle he had prepared.

"Zi Quan will definitely be happy to see this."

The smile on Cu Ye's face deepened. He carefully stored the porcelain bottle away.

"Is it finished already?"

A gentle voice suddenly sounded from behind, causing Cu Ye to turn around. His smile immediately warmed when he saw the figure standing at the doorway.

Zi Quan, the most beautiful woman on the Zen Continent, and the woman who would soon become his wife.

"You're already here? We were supposed to meet tomorrow," Cu Ye greeted her with a warm smile as he walked toward her.

"You promised that you would finish the pill before our wedding tomorrow. Of course I came because I was worried," Zi Quan replied in a slightly pouty tone.

Cu Ye gently patted her shoulder and smiled reassuringly.

"I already made a promise to you. Of course I've successfully completed the pill." He paused for a moment, taking both of her hands before continuing, "Tomorrow, during our wedding ceremony, I will present this Eternal Life Pill to you as my gift."

Zi Quan's eyes widened instantly.

"It really succeeded?" she asked in disbelief, her face filled with excitement.

"Of course." Cu Ye nodded lightly. "Have I ever lied to you?"

Zi Quan's face was filled with joy.

"Then show it to me. Tell me the secret behind its refinement," the girl pleaded repeatedly, her curiosity overflowing.

Cu Ye chuckled softly at her enthusiasm.

"Tomorrow," he replied with a smile. "Tomorrow, I'll tell you everything."

Zi Quan's expression immediately became slightly displeased.

"What difference does it make whether it's now or tomorrow?" she pressed, sounding somewhat pouty.

"Of course there's a difference." Cu Ye shook his head patiently. "Because this pill is my wedding gift to you."

Zi Quan lowered her head, her gaze becoming slightly dim after hearing his refusal.

"But it seems Zi Quan can't wait until tomorrow."

Suddenly, a young man's voice came from the shadows.

Qi Mo, Cu Ye's close friend, slowly walked toward them. Cu Ye looked at the young man's appearance in confusion.

"Why can't she wait?" Cu Ye asked, unable to understand.

However, before anyone could answer, his body suddenly staggered. His chest felt tight. He coughed violently as blood slowly flowed from the corner of his mouth.

"Cough!"

Cu Ye's vision instantly became blurry.

"Poison?"

His voice was hoarse and filled with disbelief.

Without wasting any time, he immediately sealed several meridian points on his body to slow the spread of the poison.

"Zi Quan, I told you already. Ordinary poison won't have much effect on him."

Qi Mo looked at Cu Ye with a mocking expression. Even after being poisoned, Cu Ye was still able to stand. Zi Quan slowly walked to Qi Mo's side and crossed her arms in front of her chest arrogantly.

"Zi Quan, you're the one who poisoned me?"

Cu Ye's gaze shifted toward his fiancée. His eyes were filled with disbelief.

"Cu Ye, to be honest, I never wanted to marry you." Zi Quan looked at him coldly. "How could a woman like me be willing to spend her life with someone who doesn't even have a clear origin?"

Cu Ye frowned. He could hardly believe what he had just heard. The woman he had loved all this time should not have been speaking to him like this.

"You heard it yourself." Qi Mo smiled mockingly. "Someone like you is not worthy of being Zi Quan's husband."

Qi Mo clicked his tongue and slowly circled around Cu Ye with a cold gaze.

"From the very beginning, your talent was the only thing we ever cared about."

Cu Ye still forced himself to stand upright. A bitter smile appeared on his face.

"So, this is how you truly feel?"

Zi Quan merely let out a faint snort.

"There's no need for any more nonsense," Qi Mo said as he stepped forward. "Hand over the Eternal Life Pill and its refinement method right now."

Cu Ye laughed softly, his voice filled with disappointment and disbelief.

"I sacrificed my entire life for that pill." His gaze gradually turned cold. "What gives you the right to demand that I hand it over to you?"

"Then don't blame us for being ruthless."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Qi Mo drew his sword.

A cold gleam radiated from the blade. Meanwhile, Zi Quan remained where she stood, watching with eyes full of contempt.

"Guards!"

Cu Ye shouted loudly.

A moment later, several members of the Cu Clan rushed into the alchemy chamber and surrounded them.

"Zi Quan, Qi Mo." Cu Ye's gaze turned icy. "I regarded both of you as family. But that doesn't mean you can do whatever you want within the Cu Clan."

Qi Mo merely smiled coldly at his words.

"Really?"

Suddenly—

Stab!

Cu Ye's eyes widened.

A sword pierced through his body from behind. His entire body froze for a moment before he slowly turned around.

Behind him stood a member of the Cu Clan, still gripping the sword hilt with an expressionless face.

"W-Why?" Cu Ye's voice trembled.

His gaze swept across the faces around him. Yet not a single person moved to help him.

At that moment, Cu Ye realized something. The members of the Cu Clan were no longer obeying him as their Patriarch.

"Since when?" he murmured in disbelief.

"From the very beginning." Qi Mo stepped forward, looking at him with mockery in his eyes. "The position of Patriarch of the Cu Clan can only be held by someone who bears the surname Cu."

His smile widened as he leaned closer and whispered into Cu Ye's ear.

"And you?"

Stab!

Qi Mo's sword pierced straight through Cu Ye's body from the front.

"Nothing more than an adopted son."

Cu Ye's body trembled violently. As both swords were pulled out at the same time, blood immediately sprayed across the floor.

Thud!

His body dropped to his knees. His eyes turned red with anger and pain.

Although he was not a blood descendant of the Cu Family, he was the one who had raised that nearly extinct clan into one of the most respected clans on the Zen Continent.

Yet was this the reward he received?

Back then, he had risked his life to save Qi Mo's cultivation. He had once regarded the young man as his own brother.

Yet all he received in return was a sword through his body and betrayal.

"W-Why?"

Cu Ye's voice was hoarse. He held back the tears that were about to fall. He truly could not understand. What had he done wrong?

"If you had truly been a descendant of the Cu Clan, perhaps none of this would have happened."

The Cu Clan member who had stabbed him lowered his gaze for a moment. There was a trace of regret in his voice.

"Enough talking." Zi Quan interrupted coldly. "Find the Eternal Life Pill."

"Yes!"

The members of the Cu Clan immediately sprang into action. They searched every corner of the alchemy chamber, inspecting shelves, furnaces, and even the storage rings inside the room.

"Cu Ye, why make things difficult?" Qi Mo said as he walked closer. "Just hand over the Eternal Life Pill."

He crouched down, as if preparing to inspect Cu Ye's increasingly weakened body.

Cu Ye merely stared at them in silence.

His gaze swept across the faces that had once been so familiar to him. Not a single one of them cared about the blood that continued to flow from his body.

No one cared that he was standing on the brink of death. They only cared about the Eternal Life Pill.

A bitter smile slowly appeared on Cu Ye's face.

Memories of the past flashed through his mind. The hardships and joys they had shared together. The sacrifices he had made and the trust he had given.

Now, all of it felt like a cruel joke.

"Fine..." Cu Ye's voice sounded weak. "Don't you all want the Eternal Life Pill so badly?"

Slowly, he raised his blood-covered hand.

"I'll give it to you."

A small porcelain bottle suddenly appeared in his palm. Everyone's eyes widened instantly.

Without hesitation, Cu Ye threw the bottle into the air. In an instant, everyone in the room moved at the same time.

Qi Mo and Zi Quan even leaped into the air first, trying to seize it before anyone else. Seeing that scene, a bitter smile appeared on Cu Ye's face.

Swiish!

With great difficulty, he formed a series of hand seals. "Come with me to hell."

The moment those words fell, the porcelain bottle suspended in the air suddenly began to tremble violently. Everyone's expressions changed instantly.

Boom!