In the Dawnrise Garden, Skysea City.
"I'm finally back."
Malachi Chi stood at the entrance of the neighborhood. He was in a trance as if he hadn't lived here for a long time.
The residential area was developed in the 1900s, and at that period in time, the environment was not very pleasant for people to live in. The entrance gates were as rusty as they had been three years ago, swaying nonstop in the stormy night.
Malachi trembled as raindrops dripped onto his face.
He didn't tremble because of the cold, but because he lived here five years ago. This was his home.
He used to live here with Penelope Chiang, his fiancee.
"I wonder if she's still here...," he murmured.
He could not help but think of her.
Five years ago...
It was a stormy night too. He was rushing home after work. On the phone, Penelope said that she had a surprise for him. However, a fierce gale of wind sprung up as he walked to the corner of the street. A whirlpool of lightning appeared right before him.
What happened next was predictable. It was useless for him to struggle, as the vortex seemed to have an infinite suction force before it engulfed him eventually.
It's been five years, but for Malachi, it was five hundred years!
After being swallowed by the vortex, Malachi had arrived in another world. They called it the Immortal Martial Continent. There he saw the legendary immortals. Each immortal had the power to fly and even to move a mountain.
In the past two centuries, Malachi had achieved the beginner phase of apotheosis.
He even achieved the tribulation phase within the next three centuries. He was known as a genius that was most likely to pass the transition.
However, his master, Lord Greemyst, said that his cultivation had stopped evolving because he had the last wisp of obsession in his heart. And because of that, he could never pass the transition unless this obsession was erased.
What was the keypoint in cultivation?
It was about a person's mindset!
Although Malachi was gifted in cultivation, his mental state, however, was unstable. He was concerned about the Earth he had forced to leave. Hence, with the help of Lord Greemyst, Malachi had returned to Earth.
And the price of returning to Earth was...
To lose all his achievements in cultivations!
His spirit was damaged!
Even his body was reincarnated into that of a normal human being after passing through the space tunnel.
The current Malachi was no different from any ordinary man. The only difference was, he still had his memories of the past five centuries. Countless mystic arts that he learned in the Immortal Martial Continent occupied his brain.
Malachi did not regret returning to Earth at such a cost.
"Perhaps this is a chance for me to start over!" Malachi thought.
''I can make up for the regrets I have on Earth while finding my way to return to the Immortal Realm again..."
Malachi smiled. Slowly, his eyes turned sharp, as if they were filled with flames.
.......
Malachi was born in MG town, Flatsun City.
His father, Carter Chi, was from Layzer City, Jannaca Province. His mother, Rachel Loo, came from one of the wealthiest families in Jauritus.
His parents met each other at Jauritus University, and they fell in love. The Loo family, however, disapproved of the relationship. They betrothed Rachel to a descendant of another big family in Jauritius.
Rachel had revolted countless times. She ended up having a dispute with the Loo family. Malachi's grandfather even made it clear that if Rachel were to marry Carter, she would be disowned by the Loo family.
As a result, Rachel left Jauritus with Carter in a rage.
To prove himself, Carter did not choose to go back to Layzer City. Instead, he was assigned to work in MG town in Flatsun City. He started from the bottom. After ten years of hard work, Carter had become an influential person in MG town.
Malachi remembered how his grandfather and relatives looked at him when he first met them at seven. Coldness and mockery were all they had to offer to the seven-year-old Malachi.
In their eyes, not only did his mother, Rachel disobeyed his grandfather, but she also gave birth to Malachi, an illegitimate child. She had brought disgrace upon the Loo family.
As for Carter's achievement that was not worth mentioning, it was nothing but a joke to the Loo family!
Since then, Rachel did not mention going back to Jauritius anymore. She did not want Carter and Malachi to tolerate others' disdain and humiliation.
Rachel was a woman with an iron will. She started a business in Flatsun City and became the founder of the Manorgeous Group. However, it was nothing compared to the Loo family.
''I might have endured all the oppression and humiliation silently five years ago. However, the Malachi now has turned over a new leaf. I'll make everyone have a taste of their own medicine,'' Malachi said to himself.
"I won't back down this time!"
He looked up at the sky. "I'm a Venerable Immortal!"
"Mom, Dad, Sister Loo, and Penelope, I'll never let anyone humiliate us from now on!"
A gleam of cold determination flashed across Malachi's eyes.
......
The iron gates were unlocked. Malachi was familiar with the house. He went to the sixth floor of the second unit on the east.
Malachi's stood at the entrance. His hand paused in mid-air. He could not help but tremble.
He was so close to his home at this moment.
However, he was afraid that...
He was afraid that the person who came out was not Penelope. He was terrified at his own thought. What if a strange man was living inside?
He was swept over by his guilt. His heart was overwhelmed with all sorts of emotions.
"It's been five years. There's no way she's still waiting for me..."
Malachi lifted a self-mocking smile.
"Forget about it. I'll still keep my promise even if she had chosen some other man. I'd promised to protect her for the rest of my life."
Malachi knocked on the door, but no one answered.
After standing outside for a while, Malachi reached out and ran his hands across the crack of the door.
"The key is still there, could it be..."
Malachi was excited as only he and Penelope knew where the key was located at this hidden spot.
It had been five years, but the key was still there.
"Has she been waiting for me?"
Malachi was unsure of it. He opened the door with his hands trembling.
The house did not have its familiar scent.
Malachi was a little disappointed. However, he was stunned the moment he laid his foot in.
The house was immaculate, and the placement of things in the house was mostly unchanged. It was the same, just like how it was five hundred years ago. There was a photo sitting on the porch.
Inside the photo, there was a beautiful woman. Next to her was a tall, handsome man. The couple looked very happy in the photo. Their faces were filled with content and happiness.
That man was none other than Malachi!
"She has been waiting for me..."
Malachi stroked the photo with tears in his eyes. He then headed towards the bedroom.
There was no one!
Malachi shifted his sight to a photo on the nightstand. It was a photo of him, Penelope, and a cute little chubby girl.
It was obvious that the photo was edited as it looked rather awkward.
The little girl was about four to five years old. She looked like a carbon-copy of Penelope.
"You already have a child...," Malachi murmured and opened the drawer instinctively.
A marriage certificate and the household register were inside the drawer.
Malachi paused when he saw the picture and name on the marriage certificate. His mind was blank.
He had never been this shocked. Not even when he first met an ancient beast in the Immortal Martial Continent.
It was a photo of him and Penelope, and his name was still in the household register.
"Aubree Chi?" Malachi muttered.
"She is my daughter?"
Malachi's memories flashed back to before he got taken away to the Immortal Martial Continent. He recalled that Penelope told him that she had prepared a surprise for him. So, the surprise was...
