A young man who was extremely powerful in the entire universe was cultivating with deep focus. He was a cultivator respected across the world and feared because of his temperament.
He was still only 147 years old. That age was still considered very young for someone who had almost reached the peak of cultivation.
No one would ever expect that the strong and arrogant young man who was cultivating right now was once the most miserable child. He had no talent, no resources, no family and countless misfortunes, but he was a hardworking child and of course blessed by the Heavens.
When he was on the verge of despair, he accidentally found a long lost manual called the Heavenly Dragon Technique. The manual was something many cultivators had searched and hunted for, yet no one had ever found it.
"Master Li, may I come inside?" someone asked. The voice was soft and very calming.
"Please, come in," he replied softly.
The young man was named Liu Cheng. He was known as the Dragon Hero. With just one stomp of his heel he could create a massive lake. When he was angry, earthquakes would shake the entire earth violently.
Liu Cheng smiled. He heard the rare sound of the footsteps of the woman he loved walking toward him. That woman was incredibly beautiful. She was the true embodiment of beauty itself, someone whose existence could make beauty feel jealous.
"I brought a drink for you, Master."
Liu Cheng turned his body. He looked at the girl. All the exhaustion inside him slowly faded and made him feel much more energized. Liu Cheng immediately stood up and embraced the girl gently.
His hands moved to various parts of the girl's body, making her feel ticklish. She squirmed because Liu Cheng touched her sensitive spots.
"Wait, Master!" She stepped back. "Did we not already do it last night? You should rest this afternoon. We can continue again tonight."
Liu Cheng felt a little disappointed, but he accepted her words and sat back in his cultivation spot. The girl placed the fruits she had prepared right in front of Liu Cheng.
"Thank you," said Liu Cheng.
"It is no problem. This is already my duty as your wife," answered the beautiful girl.
Liu Cheng smiled. He then ate the fruit slowly. The girl watched him with a tense expression. When Liu Cheng turned toward her, she showed her sweetest face and her most beautiful smile.
"Does it taste good, Master?"
Liu Cheng nodded. "Yes, it tastes good."
Liu Cheng ate one more fruit. After eating four fruits, he intended to return to cultivating.
However, suddenly his body felt extremely hot and inside his body it felt as if thousands of needles were stabbing him.
Liu Cheng focused his qi, but one second later he vomited blood. At that moment, he realized that what had entered his mouth was poison.
"Seven Nights and Seven Heavens Poison," said Liu Cheng.
It was not an ordinary poison. It was a high level poison that could kill even an immortal.
"Damn it. Do not tell me."
Liu Cheng immediately turned around.
He saw his wife smiling, a smile of victory. With quick movement the woman pulled out a dagger she had prepared under her clothes and stabbed it into Liu Cheng's heart.
Blood flowed from his body.
The stab wound stung very painfully as if the wound was being burned. Liu Cheng looked at the girl with disbelief. He wished that everything happening was just his imagination and that the one stabbing him was not the person he loved.
"Why did you do this?" asked Liu Cheng.
"I want you to hand over the Time Gem! Give it to me!" the girl demanded.
"So you are truly An Xingyi." Liu Cheng never expected this. "So you approached me only for the Time Gem? You never loved me?"
"Of course," the woman answered. She stepped back.
"I did all of this for the Time Gem that you possess. Everyone desires immortality. With that gem, I will live forever."
Liu Cheng gave a bitter smile. There was no hint of guilt in her expression. This did not only hurt his body but also his heart.
Liu Cheng took out the Time Gem that An Xingyi demanded. The gem was extremely small. Only about the size of a thumb. It had a beautiful rainbow color.
Liu Cheng flicked his finger slightly. A tiny needle shot from his finger and struck the woman's neck. Within one second the girl died instantly. She did not even realize she had been killed.
"I truly am pathetic. To think I was deceived by the face of a disgusting rat," Liu Cheng complained.
He immediately sat cross legged, focused his mind and regulated his breath. He tried to eliminate the poison inside his body. One minute passed. Instead of improving, the poison spread even faster and caused him great pain.
Blood came out of Liu Cheng's mouth. The blood was not red, but greenish black.
"Seven Nights and Seven Heavens Poison," he muttered. "She truly wanted to kill me. I do not have the antidote for this poison."
Seven Nights and Seven Heavens Poison was the deadliest poison. No one had ever found its cure. Liu Cheng stopped what he was doing because nothing he attempted had any effect.
He then took out the Time Gem again.
"It seems I have no other choice."
He gripped the gem tightly until it shattered. Immediately everything was filled with light, but a few seconds later the light vanished and was replaced by complete darkness. Nothing could be seen at all.
Suddenly Liu Cheng's body felt extremely hot. His entire body was burning and filled with golden light. The flames wrapping around him were so intense that he lost consciousness.
He remembered that this was the effect of using the Time Gem. It was a trial given by the gem. If he failed, then Liu Cheng's soul would disappear inside eternal darkness.
"Aaaarrgh," Liu Cheng screamed.
Throughout his entire life, Liu Cheng had never felt pain as terrible as this. He kept resisting the agony.
"I cannot lose. I have not reached the peak of cultivation. There is still one final stage I must surpass. I cannot fall because of something like this. The determination I have is far greater than this," Liu Cheng encouraged himself in his heart.
Time continued to pass. He did not know how long it had been, but it was extremely long and unbearably painful.
Suddenly Liu Cheng's body felt very cool. The flames burning him faded away. The atmosphere became cold, yet it was still completely dark.
Liu Cheng felt peaceful as if he was in a deep sleep.
But suddenly someone shook his body.
"Hey, kid! Are you alright?" someone shouted.