The Eternal Emperor: Reborn to Slaughter The Gods

The Trash of Lu Clan

"If this pathetic shell is what the heavens gave me to exact my revenge, then the universe has a terrible sense of humor," Lu Tian said aloud, his voice raspy and dry in the silent, dusty room.

He sat on the edge of a rotting wooden bed, staring down at his frail, trembling hands. They were small, thin, and covered in rough calluses and fresh bruises. This was not his supreme, unyielding divine body that could shatter mountains with a single gesture. The skin was pale, the muscles were completely undeveloped, and when he checked his internal meridians, he found them blocked, twisted, and utterly broken.

"Ten thousand years," he muttered, forcing a bitter, hollow laugh from his cracked lips. "I slept in the void for ten thousand years. Mu Rong and Shangguan Xue are probably worshipped as supreme gods across the higher planes now. Meanwhile, I am reduced to the ridiculed orphan of a fading family in a remote border town."

The foreign memories of this new body flooded his mind, piecing together a miserable existence. This boy had been beaten, mocked, and starved by his own relatives for years because his cultivation talent was completely nonexistent.

"No spirit root," Lu Tian whispered to himself, pressing a finger against his fragile chest. "Blocked meridians. A body so weak it cannot even withstand a harsh winter wind. Truly, a masterpiece of garbage."

Footsteps suddenly slammed against the wooden floorboards outside in the hallway, cutting his thoughts short.

"Get up, you useless piece of garbage!" a loud, grating voice yelled from the other side of the door.

"Are you pretending to be dead now?" another voice added, laughing loudly. "We know you are in there, coward!"

"If you do not open this door right now, we will break it down and drag you out by your hair!" a third voice shouted.

Lu Tian did not move from the bed. He simply looked at the wooden planks of the entrance, his eyes turning cold. "Who is making all that noise?"

The door was kicked open with a loud bang, wood splinters flying across the small, cramped space. A young man wearing a fine yellow silk robe stepped into the room, holding a thick leather whip that trailed along the floor. Two stocky guards followed closely behind him, carrying heavy wooden clubs and wearing identical grins.

"Look who decided to speak," Lu Jin said, slapping the whip against his open palm. "I thought you died from shame after what happened yesterday."

"Yesterday?" Lu Tian asked, tilting his head slightly, his tone completely flat.

"Do not play stupid with me," Lu Jin spat, taking a heavy step forward into the room. "The basic martial test. The entire clan gathered in the main square to watch the great young master awaken his spirit root. We invited the city lord, the elders, and the rival clans. And what did you do?"

"Tell me," Lu Tian said.

"You fainted before you even touched the testing stone!" Lu Jin shouted, his face turning red with anger. "You just collapsed like a sick dog in front of everyone! The First Elder was so humiliated he almost stripped your surname right there. You made the entire Lu Clan the laughingstock of the city."

"The city lord was laughing behind his fan," the first guard chimed in, pointing a thick finger at Lu Tian. "I saw it myself. He told his advisors that the Lu Clan's bloodline had finally dried up."

"Even the servants from the other families were pointing and giggling at us," the second guard added. "I had to cover my face on the way back from the market this morning to avoid the shame."

"That sounds unfortunate for all of you," Lu Tian said, slowly standing up from the bed. "But why are you here in my room with a whip?"

"Because the First Elder ordered your punishment," Lu Jin sneered, pointing the handle of the whip directly at Lu Tian's face. "Thirty lashes for bringing shame to our ancestors. And I volunteered to deliver them myself."

"You volunteered to whip a cripple?" Lu Tian asked, crossing his arms. "How brave of you."

"Shut up!" Lu Jin roared, his face twisting into an ugly scowl. "You are just a stray dog living on the charity of my father. Your parents are dead, their legacy is dead, and you contribute absolutely nothing to the clan. The resources wasted on feeding you could have gone to the hunting dogs. At least the dogs can bite intruders."

"You talk about resources," Lu Tian said calmly, his voice remaining terrifyingly level. "But you and your father stole my inheritance. You used my mother's spirit stones to buy the Golden Marrow Pill for yourself. That is how you broke through to the third stage of body refinement last month."

Lu Jin laughed brightly, showing his teeth. "We reallocated it. The clan rules state that resources belong to those who can protect the family. You cannot even protect your own face from my whip. I am going to tear the skin off your back until you beg for mercy."

"You can try," Lu Tian replied, keeping his hands relaxed by his sides. "But I promise you, it will end very badly for you."

"You are bluffing," Lu Jin said, narrowing his eyes as he raised his arm. "You have zero cultivation. You are a sick, frail mortal."

"A mortal can still break your bones if you are foolish enough," Lu Tian said softly.

"I am going to rip your tongue out!" Lu Jin shouted.

He swung his arm back and snapped the whip forward, aiming directly for Lu Tian's face. The leather cut through the air with a sharp, violent whistle. To a normal person, the attack was lightning fast. But to Lu Tian, a man who had fought supreme demons and celestial generals for centuries, the movement was incredibly slow, clumsy, and full of massive openings. Even with a broken body, his battle instinct was still that of a god.

Lu Tian did not dodge backward. He stepped forward, entering Lu Jin's personal space before the whip could fully extend. He raised his left hand and caught the thick leather midair, wrapping it around his palm tightly.

"Let go of it!" Lu Jin gasped, trying to pull back with all his might. "How do you have this much strength?"

"You rely too much on your weapon, and your stance is completely trash," Lu Tian whispered right into his cousin's ear.

Lu Tian suddenly yanked the whip toward himself. The massive force pulled Lu Jin off balance, causing him to stumble forward clumsily. As Lu Jin fell into him, Lu Tian released the leather, grabbed Lu Jin's right wrist, and twisted his hips, applying a sharp, downward pressure.

A loud, sickening crack echoed off the wooden walls as the bones in Lu Jin's wrist shattered completely. The leather whip dropped to the floor as Lu Jin let out a piercing, high-pitched scream of pure agony, falling to his knees while clutching his broken arm.

"My hand! He broke my hand! Kill him! You idiots, stand there and kill him right now!" Lu Jin screamed at the guards, tears leaking from his eyes.

The two guards snapped out of their shock, their mouths hanging open in pure astonishment. They looked at the crying young master on the floor and then at the frail, skinny orphan standing above him.

"Did he just break the young master's wrist?" the first guard whispered, his voice shaking as he gripped his club tighter.

"How is that possible?" the second guard asked, stepping back a fraction. "He has no inner energy! He is a cripple!"

"Are you deaf?" Lu Jin screamed again, spitting blood on the floor from biting his tongue. "Attack him! Break his legs! Break his neck!"

"Yes, young master," the guards said in unison, finally snapping out of their daze.

They raised their heavy wooden clubs, their faces darkening as they prepared to rush forward.

"I would not do that if I were you," Lu Tian warned, his eyes narrowing into cold slits.

"You are just one cripple," the first guard said, stepping closer. "You got lucky with the young master. You cannot take both of us."

Before the shocked guards can move, the Nine-Abyss Seal inside his soul suddenly vibrates, unlocking a forbidden cultivation technique that was lost to history.