LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 1
Chapter 1: Rebirth!
Mystic Spirit Holy Sect.
Sect Master’s Assembly Hall.
The inner sect elders had gathered, their voices rising in condemnation.
“Sect Master, recently, the disciples of the Holy Sect have made rapid progress in their cultivation. Out of jealousy, Lu Chen deliberately sabotaged the spiritual spring. Please investigate this matter carefully!”
“Sect Master, since the founding of the Mystic Spirit Holy Sect over five hundred years ago, such a heinous act of destroying the spiritual spring has never occurred!”
“Master, we found a tortoise-shell feather in Lu Chen’s residence, which matches the spiritual herbs found at the outlet of the spring!”
Voices of accusation came one after another. Lu Chen’s expression was dazed, his brows furrowed slightly.
“Lu Chen, do you have anything to say?”
At the center of the hall, on the Sect Master’s seat, a woman in white robes stared coldly, her voice frosty.
Lu Chen lifted his gaze, his thin lips pressing into a tight line as a storm raged within his heart.
Memories flooded in instantly, fragmented images beginning to piece together.
Blood, slaughter, intertwined spiritual lights… And then, silence.
Facing the hostile gazes around him, Lu Chen wanted to argue.
In the end, he could only squeeze out a hoarse sentence.
“I… am back!”
The moment these words fell, the elder steward of the inner sect erupted in fury.
“Lu Chen, this is the Assembly Hall! The Sect Master is questioning you—stop putting on an act!”
But Lu Chen was still lost in the memories that had just resurfaced.
He had been a disciple of Mystic Spirit Holy Sect, guarding the Demonic Cave for three hundred years to protect the sect.
To suppress the Demonic Cave, he had destroyed his spiritual roots and lost all his cultivation.
When he returned to the sect, he was treated with disdain, shunned by his fellow disciples.
In the end, he was humiliated to death, dying with resentment that reached the heavens!
Now, he had opened his eyes once more, returning to this very day, to this moment when he was condemned by everyone.
Scanning the faces around him, Lu Chen felt a surge of sorrow and determination.
Since the heavens had allowed him to return to this day, it must be to make up for past regrets.
In that case, he would defy fate and change his destiny!
Seeing Lu Chen remain silent, the elder steward of the inner sect let out a cold snort and knelt once more in the great hall.
“Sect Master, it takes four years for the spiritual spring to regain its energy. Our ten thousand inner sect disciples rely on it for their cultivation!”
“Now that the spiritual spring has been destroyed, as its guardian, Lu Chen bears undeniable responsibility!”
“Moreover, we have both the evidence and the culprit. Sect Master, please punish this villain at once to give all disciples a proper explanation!”
As soon as he finished speaking, a woman in red stepped forward, glaring at Lu Chen with unrestrained hatred, as if she wished she could grind her teeth into dust.
“Lu Chen, I never thought you would be so narrow-minded! Back then, it was you who volunteered to go to Yuling Mountain to guard the Demonic Cave—no one forced you!”
“Losing your cultivation and spiritual roots is indeed tragic, but that was your fate! How could you lose your heart and soul as well?”
“The sect has never forgotten your three hundred years of sacrifice, yet today, you hinder the disciples’ progress out of jealousy—what are you thinking?!”
Lu Chen looked up, calmly meeting the furious gaze of his junior sister, Chi Lingxiao.
Before he could respond, the elder steward’s voice rang out again.
“Losing the spring water only means the disciples will need another ten years of cultivation.”
“But if the spiritual spring cannot be restored, that would be an unimaginable loss for the entire sect!”
These words instantly caused the surrounding elders to look tense.
If the spiritual spring truly could not be restored, it would be a catastrophe for the entire Holy Sect!
In an instant, countless murderous gazes turned toward Lu Chen.
Lu Chen’s eyes narrowed.
These people were determined to destroy him!
Framing him for a crime, crushing his spirit… They had spared no effort!
Three hundred years ago, it was he who had insisted on guarding the Demonic Cave.
Because of his three hundred years of bloodshed, the Xuanling Sect had been able to grow, becoming the Mystic Spirit Holy Sect.
Yet, to suppress the Demonic Cave, he had paid the ultimate price—losing all his cultivation, becoming no different from an ordinary mortal.
Now, not only had these people forgotten his sacrifice, but they even fabricated an excuse to frame him for destroying the spiritual spring!
Such slander was utterly ridiculous!
Chi Lingxiao, the head of the Alchemy Hall, had always been intelligent and meticulous.
The elder steward, ever since managing the Martial Pavilion, had never made a mistake.
Both of them were cautious and methodical, yet now, they were being absurdly reckless!
Would someone like Lu Chen, who spent three hundred years in the Demonic Cave for the sect, really care about some broken spiritual spring?!
The great hall fell silent.
Finally, Lu Chen lifted his gaze and slowly looked at the woman seated on the Sect Master’s throne.
Her skin was like jade, her beauty cold and peerless. She was the Sect Master of the Mystic Spirit Holy Sect—his master.
For years, Yu Yanxue had been like an unattainable piece of cold jade, always distant and aloof.
Yet now, her expression was the same as everyone else’s.
Contempt.
Hatred.
Her eyes brimmed with disgust and disdain, as if they could barely contain themselves.
Lu Chen let out a cold laugh.
This conspiracy… All three of them were involved!
Chi Lingxiao had come up with the plan.
The elder steward had played a role in destroying the spring.
But without Yu Yanxue’s approval, how could they have dared to go this far?
Lu Chen’s heart sank deeper and deeper…
The bond between master and disciple from years past was fading away…
For the sake of an incoming junior disciple, they had truly gone to great lengths!
At this moment, no one cared about the sacrifices he had made to ensure the sect’s peace.
All they cared about was Yu Yanxue’s other personal disciple—Qi Ze!
The spiritual spring could not be restored?
Nonsense!
If that were true, why was Qi Ze so busy?
Everything they did today was just to push him aside for Qi Ze!
They couldn’t just expel him outright, so they had concocted this grand act instead!
In his past life, he had devoted himself to protecting the Mystic Spirit Holy Sect, blindly obeying his master’s every word.
But now, Lu Chen had no intention of doing so!
Why should he sacrifice his life for these ungrateful, backstabbing people? They were not worthy!
And for the sake of so-called justice, why should he accept punishment and go to the bitterly cold Reflection Peak, losing his last chance to regain his cultivation?
That day, Qi Ze had held the Lingfeng Sword and sneered down at him.
“Senior Brother, are you feeling worse than death now?”
“The hero of the sect… now reduced to a dog!”
“No, even a dog has more dignity than you. At least a dog barks—what can you even do?”
Lying in a pool of blood, Lu Chen had coughed up blackened blood, his eyes losing all vitality.
His tendons had been severed countless times, only to be reattached and cut again. He had swallowed who-knows-how-many bowls of unknown medicines.
The only words he remembered were Qi Ze’s:
“I’ll make sure you can neither live nor die!”
A sword aura slashed past, and fresh blood trickled down Lu Chen’s face.
Qi Ze’s voice grew colder.
“You want to die? Fine, I’ll grant your wish. From now on, I won’t play with you anymore!”
“I’m returning to Beili to manage the imperial court.”
“Today, let my Lingfeng Sword send you off!”
“From this moment on, the Mystic Spirit Holy Sect will no longer have Lu Chen!”
The sword light struck, piercing straight into Lu Chen’s heart!
Lu Chen shuddered, his thoughts snapping back to reality.
This time, he would not be anyone’s pawn!
The Assembly Hall was deathly silent, the air filled with a biting chill.
Everyone was waiting for Lu Chen’s response.
“Lu Chen, you are a hero of the sect. If you admit your guilt, I will not make things difficult for you.”
Yu Yanxue’s eyes flickered slightly.
But to her surprise, Lu Chen admitted, “Sect Master, I was at fault.”