The Red Flame Continent, a world where martial prowess is paramount.
People communicate with heaven and earth, absorbing primal energy, which later integrates into their dantian, thereby becoming martial cultivators. Not only can martial cultivation increase one's strength, but it can also break through the upper limit of life expectancy, leading those in pursuit of power to gradually ascend to the peak of martial arts.
Martial cultivators are also symbols of strength, and everything else seems insignificant in front of them.
However, the road of martial cultivation is extremely difficult, and those who can become cultivators are few and far between.
In Qingyang city, resides the Ye Family.
In a dungeon with dim lighting, a boy covered in blood leans against the wall. His hands and feet are shackled with heavy iron chains, his head lowered. Though his face is smeared with blood, it doesn't conceal his handsome features.
The boy's name is Ye Feng, sixteen years old, and the current acting patriarch of the Ye family. It's only because of his congenital dantian blockage, making cultivation impossible, that he has ended up in this predicament.
"Step, step, step."
Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from the other side of the dungeon. The person soon stopped in front of the cell door. Ye Feng didn't look up because he knew who it was.
"Ye Feng, you have fallen so low, and still stubbornly cling onto the position of Clan Head. I really admire you." A voice full of disdain soon reached Ye Feng's ears.
The man in front is Ye Qing, the one who threw Ye Feng into this dungeon. At this moment, Ye Feng slowly raised his head, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.
"Ye Feng, it's been five days now. If you continue to be obstinate, don't blame me for what's to come." As Ye Qing spoke, a trace of chill emerged on his face.
"The position of Clan Head was passed down to me by my father. Don't illusion yourself, even in death, I won't give it up," Ye Feng spoke, his blood-stained face brimming with determination.
Ye Feng's father was the previous head of the Ye family, but he disappeared suddenly a year ago. Before disappearing, he had passed the position of Clan Head to Ye Feng.
"It seems you won't shed a tear until you see your own coffin."
"Clap, clap."
Ye Qing spoke and clapped his hands, which was shortly followed by a cacophony of footstep noises from a distance.
Two people were seen carrying a stretcher towards Ye Feng. Even in the dim light of the cell, Ye Feng recognized the girl in the green dress on the stretcher at a glance.
Upon seeing the girl in the green dress on the stretcher, Ye Feng's emotions went through dramatic changes.
The next moment, Ye Feng rushed to the front of the iron railing, his long-repressed fury exploding instantly.
"Ye Qing, if you dare to harm Meng'er, even as a ghost I will never let you go." At this moment, Ye Feng was nearly frantic, and the murderous intent in his eyes was unveiled.
"That depends on your actions. As long as you hand over the position of family head, I will not touch Ye Meng'er. But if you insist on not signing the contract, I'd rather shatter the jade than complete the tile."
Having said that, Ye Qing showed a hint of cunning on his face, then he waved his hand, indicating for someone to carry the girl down.
Ye Meng and Ye Feng grew up together, they were childhood sweethearts. If Ye Meng was now hurt because of him, it was something Ye Feng would not allow. Watching Ye Meng being carried away, Ye Feng was filled with mixed emotions.
"Ye Qing, remember this, you will pay for what you've done today, sooner or later," Ye Feng said coldly before turning his head.
"I'll wait," Ye Qing responded, a cold smirk forming on his lips, "Someone, clean him up and change his clothes. Here's a pill for you. If you dare to play tricks, I won't mind capturing her back." Ye Qing then placed a pill in Ye Feng's palm.
Ye Feng immediately threw the pill to the ground. Although his body was in intense pain, he would rather withstand it than take Ye Qing's pill.
After cleaning up, Ye Feng strode towards the hall.
"Look, Ye Feng has shown up."
"Has this trash finally agreed to relinquish his position as clan leader?"
"A useless person actually served as the chief for a whole year. Just thinking about it makes me feel ashamed for him."
At the moment Ye Maple appeared, he was met with a wave of curses and mockery.
Hearing these derogatory remarks, Ye Maple's anger was fueled even more. His nails had already deeply dug into his flesh.
Yet, Ye Maple didn't say anything. He directly walked into the main hall.
In the hall sat two middle-aged men. One was Ye Maple's uncle, Ye Changqing, the other was Ye Maple's third uncle, Ye Yuanba -- also, the father of Ye Qing. These two had jointly devised this situation.
Without uttering a word, Ye Maple walked right up to the front, picked up the brush on the table, and signed his own name on the bottom right of the document. He then cut open his palm and left a bloody handprint on it.
Ye Maple then proceeded to place the contract in front of Ye Yuanba on the table.
"Third uncle, you better be up to this position. Don't end up suffering retribution after only a few days in power. Remember, the higher you climb, the harder you fall," Ye Maple gritted his teeth and spat out.
"You..."
Upon hearing Ye Maple's words, Ye Yuanba was instantly gritting his teeth in anger. But before he could utter a word, Ye Maple turned and left.
"Third brother, isn't this a bit too much?" a somber-faced Ye Changqing asked.
"Too much? A young pup served as the head of the family for a year. Isn't that too much?" Ye Yuanba got up and collected the contract as he spoke.
Not long after, the sky started to darken. Ye Maple didn't go home. He went to look for Ye Mengyu, but she wasn't at home. As a result, Ye Maple, heavily burdened with thoughts, made his way up a hill.
Sitting on top of the hill, Ye Maple gazed quietly at the distance.
The sky grew extremely gloomy. It started to rain heavily in no time. Ye Maple slowly looked up at the lightning and the thunder in the turbulent rain.
Ye Maple, drenched in the pouring rain, had long since fallen into despair. The moment Ye Dream was taken to the dungeon, he had given up. After all, when he couldn't even protect the woman he loved, why should he continue living? What even qualifies as life?
"Master, the city officials have assigned you as the manager of the Cui Lin Ranch, which is just outside the city. They have asked you to head out before tomorrow." At this point, a plainly dressed maidservant arrived at the peak of the hill amidst the downpour.
She was Ye Maple's maid, Xiao Xue, although Ye Maple never regarded her as a servant. He had always treated her as a younger sister.
According to the Ye family rules, if someone had not acquired any cultivational abilities by the time they turned sixteen, they would be dispatched to manage a family venture outside the manor.
"And what about you?" Ye Maple, with his eyes tightly shut, asked in a deathly pale tone.
"They... they won't let me accompany you. They said you're not a Ye family young master anymore." Xiao Xue didn't utter the latter half of her sentence, but Ye Maple had already guessed what they had said, which may have been even more hurtful.
"Mm, I understand. You should go back, it's raining heavily." Ye Maple replied with a slightly calm tone.
"Young Master, you should head home early too. You might catch a cold here. I will try to talk to them." Xiao Xue said, and then turned around, slowly descending the hill.
Now, Ye Maple let a bitter smile escape his lips. He didn't care about the family head position, or wherever he was assigned to. What he cared about the most was his inability to protect anyone close to him.
Ye Maple clenched his fists, the veins on his forehead bulging instantly, his eyes forever fastening on the storm clouds in the sky.
"God, if you want me, Ye Maple, to end my life this way, why not give me a quicker end?" Ye Maple roared at the sky with a ferocious look on his face.
At this moment, Ye Maple was at rock bottom. He even had thoughts of jumping off the cliff. But he knew, if he did, he would truly lose everything.
Just after Ye Maple shouted, a jet-black lightning bolt sliced through the horizon, and in the next moment, it struck Ye Maple.
The black lightning made no sound at all. The instant the lightning bolt entered Ye Maple's body, he collapsed backwards, and lost consciousness instantly.
After a while, Ye Maple gradually regained his consciousness.
"What is this? Where am I?"
At this moment, Ye Maple found himself in a circular space in front of a watermelon-sized red orb. A red dragon cub appeared within that orb.
