The Relic of the Three Realms Ruler

Chapter 4

Sui Jiang returned to the Jiang Family Estate wearing a satisfied and proud smile, without the slightest trace of guilt, even though he had just thrown his own younger brother, Lin Jiang, into the Abyss of Death.

When Ning Jiang saw that Sui Jiang had returned alone, she immediately ran over to him.

"Where's Brother Lin?" she asked anxiously.

"How would I know? Why are you asking me about that piece of trash?" Sui Jiang replied coldly.

"I saw you leave with Brother Lin. Just tell me where he is!" Ning Jiang demanded, raising her voice.

"It's none of your business. You're just a child, so stay out of it."

"He's still my brother!" Ning Jiang shouted.

"Yes, but he doesn't exist anymore. Don't ask me where he is."

Just as the siblings were arguing, Patriarch Jiang arrived with his wife, Wen Jiang.

"Have you completed your task, Sui?" Patriarch Jiang asked.

"Yes, Father. That piece of trash will never return to this house again."

"Trash?" Ning Jiang yelled angrily.

"Ning Jiang, enough!" Patriarch Jiang barked. "You're still a child and know nothing. Whatever happens, keep your mouth shut!"

"Mother!" Ning Jiang cried.

Wen Jiang lowered her head in silence.

She already knew what had happened.

Sui Jiang had undoubtedly killed Lin Jiang.

"Come with me, Ning," Wen Jiang said softly.

The mother of the Jiang siblings struggled to hold back her tears in front of her youngest daughter.

What mother could remain calm after learning that her own son had been murdered while she was powerless to stop it?

"But, Mother..."

"Come."

Patriarch Jiang and Sui Jiang merely watched them with cold expressions.

They knew that neither Wen Jiang nor Ning Jiang would ever accept Lin Jiang's death.

"Are you certain he's dead?" Patriarch Jiang asked.

"Yes, Father. Just as you ordered, I threw Lin Jiang into the Abyss of Death."

"Excellent. You truly are someone I can rely on."

Patriarch Jiang smiled as he patted Sui Jiang on the shoulder.

Meanwhile, inside Ning Jiang's room, Wen Jiang could no longer hold back her grief.

She burst into tears, crying uncontrollably.

The son she had loved the most...

The son she had placed all her hopes upon...

...was gone.

Ning Jiang stood there silently, watching her mother cry.

Although she was only nine years old, she could clearly feel the overwhelming sorrow in her mother's heart.

Yet there was nothing she could do.

"Brother Lin... are you really dead?" Ning Jiang murmured.

---

Lin Jiang's body continued to plummet into the Abyss of Death.

The abyss was unimaginably deep, and its bottom was said to be covered with countless razor-sharp rocks.

However, instead of crashing onto the ground, his body suddenly entered an incredibly dark tunnel of light.

He kept falling...

Deeper...

And deeper...

As though the tunnel had no end.

Thud!

At last, his body landed before a hidden cave whose entrance was completely concealed by thick vines and overgrown bushes.

Blood flowed from Lin Jiang's wounds, staining the cave entrance before gradually seeping into the ground.

The moment his blood was absorbed by the earth, the entire area trembled violently as though struck by a small earthquake.

Suddenly, a river of blood surged out from beneath the ground.

It wrapped around Lin Jiang's unconscious body and carried him into the hidden cave.

No one would ever know what had happened.

The bushes covering the entrance began to move on their own, completely sealing the cave from the outside world.

The river of blood carried Lin Jiang farther and farther into the cave until it finally reached the deepest chamber at the end of the tunnel.

It was a vast underground hall.

The entire chamber was filled with a terrifying aura of darkness and the overwhelming stench of fresh blood.

It was certainly no place for an eleven-year-old boy.

Boom!

Without warning, a silver-white staff fell from the ceiling and embedded itself upright beside Lin Jiang's body.

"Was it this boy's blood that awakened me?" a voice echoed from within the staff.

A stream of white light, like drifting smoke, emerged from the tip of the staff.

The light gradually took shape...

It transformed into the gigantic figure of a crimson-eyed dragon.

Its scarlet eyes glowed ominously.

Its massive jaws remained open as though it intended to devour the unconscious Lin Jiang lying helplessly on the cave floor.

"This child possesses extraordinary talent... yet his body has been completely ruined. What exactly happened to him?"

The crimson-eyed dragon lowered its enormous head toward Lin Jiang.

A drop of saliva fell onto the boy's body.

But it was no ordinary saliva.

The instant it touched Lin Jiang's skin, his entire body trembled violently, as though an immense power had entered him.

The Qi within his body exploded.

His body slowly rose into the air until he floated weightlessly.

A brilliant blue light—the very core of Lin Jiang's spiritual energy—burst forth from within him and enveloped his entire body.

"Incredible..."

"He's no ordinary child."

The dragon's crimson eyes shone with excitement.

For the first time in countless years, it had discovered a genius of unparalleled talent.

"Is this fate?" the dragon murmured.

It continued watching Lin Jiang's floating body without blinking.

"So... the owner of the Sword of Darkness has finally appeared."

"This child is about to embark upon a destiny unlike any other."

The crimson-eyed dragon could no longer conceal the joy in its eyes.

"I shall wait for him to awaken."

"Then I will ask him one question..."

"Is he willing to accept his destiny?"

---

Lin Jiang had long since given up struggling after being kicked into the Abyss of Death.

That single kick had nearly shattered every bone in his body.

Although only half-conscious, he could still vaguely sense himself falling through a pitch-black tunnel.

Yet he was powerless to resist.

After what felt like an eternity, however, he suddenly felt a mysterious energy flowing into his body.

The energy rapidly healed every wound he had suffered.

Slowly, Lin Jiang opened his eyes.

The very first thing he saw was a gigantic dragon staring directly at him with blazing crimson eyes.

"Are... are you going to eat me?" Lin Jiang asked fearlessly.