Lotus Incarnation

The cold wind howled, and snow filled the heavens and the earth.

Snowflakes fell upon the frozen lake, covering it in a layer of white, yet a one-meter-wide hole in the ice stood out starkly against that "white cloth."

Two figures in black arrived in a flash, treading on the snow without leaving a trace. Like immortals wielding divine powers, they hovered just above the ground. They approached the lake and tossed a black sack weighed down by several large stones into the icy hole.

"By the time spring comes, the corpse will have rotted away; no one will ever find it," the man in black said coldly, staring at the frozen surface.

The two waited for a moment, and seeing that the sack did not float back up, they departed. They failed to notice, however, that beneath the lake, a golden lotus was rising, emitting a brilliant luster as if forged from pure gold.

Su Hao was inside the sack, his throat slit by a blade. Blood spurted out, seeping through the fabric and dissolving into the lake water.

I'm dying. With Father gone, what will happen to Yu'er... Su Hao's thoughts were fragmented, gradually blurring.

Su Hao had once been the young master of the Su Family in Great Flame City. Five years ago, he was a genius, but unfortunately, after reaching the peak of Body Tempering, he was unable to open his Qi Sea or condense mana for a long time, turning the genius into a waste.

Five years ago, his father had disappeared without a trace, and the Great Elder became the acting patriarch. Su Hao's life grew worse by the day; the dignified young master was even scolded and beaten by servants.

Recently, those people had become even more excessive, forcing his younger sister, Su Yu'er, to marry the Great Elder's third son, Su Wuzhi. That boy was a complete fool, constantly snot-nosed and calling every woman he saw his wife.

All these years, unable to open his Qi Sea or generate mana, Su Hao had suffered in despair. The family disciples would either beat or humiliate him whenever they saw him. Only Yu'er had never abandoned him, staying by his side through it all.

He had sworn to protect Yu'er with his life, but now...

The black sack sank deeper under the weight of the stones, while the lotus at the bottom of the lake grew upward.

Before long, the two met.

Blood from the sack dispersed into the lake, staining the brilliant golden lotus.

"Swish!"

The golden lotus, the size of a washbasin, had not been fully bloomed at first, but upon merging with the blood, it immediately unfurled completely.

In the center of the lotus sat a tiny figure, the size of a fist, shining with dazzling golden light.

Under the infusion of blood, the figure struggled, and a thought resonated: No, damn it! Whose blood is this? To appear at this moment and snatch my, the Supreme Devil Lord's, Innate Dao Body...

The wail was intermittent, soundless, and existed only as a soul-thought.

"Where am I?"

Su Hao did not know how much time had passed when he opened his eyes. He looked around in a daze, but his expression suddenly turned ferocious: "I remember now. The Great Elder sent people to kill me. They slit my throat. Didn't I die?"

"No, wait. What is this? Why am I on a lotus?" Su Hao touched his throat; there was no wound at all. Moreover, his skin was smooth and delicate. He looked down, his eyes widening in bewilderment.

He was sitting cross-legged in the center of a massive lotus, but the flower had withered, its petals rotting away.

What on earth was happening?

"Boom!"

At that moment, Su Hao's mind jolted. Unfathomable and terrifying information flooded into his consciousness like a torrent...

I, the Supreme Devil Lord, was one of the nine Great Immortal Emperors of the Immortal Realm. During the Great War of the Immortals, I was besieged by three other Immortal Emperors and nearly perished. But I was lucky enough to encounter a strand of Innate Dao Light descending from the heavens—it was an Innate Golden Lotus born from the origin of the world.

My physical body exploded and my Primordial Spirit shattered, but a sliver of my Primordial Spirit's power attached itself to the Innate Dao Light. It took a full thousand years for the lotus to grow, and I was on the verge of rebirth.

Once reborn, I would have been the incarnation of the Innate Golden Lotus, possessing an Innate Dao Body with aptitude a thousand times greater than my previous life. I could have surpassed the Immortal Emperors and become the Primordial Ancestor.

This damned blood appeared at this very moment and snatched my Innate Dao Body...

Endless information poured into his mind like a surging river, making Su Hao's head feel as if it were splitting. He collapsed to the ground, letting out a heart-wrenching scream.

It took a full half-hour for everything to settle.

Su Hao opened his eyes, his shock reaching its peak.

"Supreme Devil Lord, Innate Dao Light, Golden Lotus incarnation... So, I was reborn?" Su Hao grasped everything.

The Supreme Devil Lord was one of the nine Immortal Emperors of the Immortal Realm; all his inherited knowledge now belonged to Su Hao. Supreme immortal techniques, heaven-defying arts, alchemy, artifact refining, talismans... he was proficient in everything.

Beyond that, most importantly, Su Hao realized he had obtained the golden lotus formed by the Innate Dao Light, becoming an Innate Dao Body—a darling of heaven and earth.

He looked down at the withered, rotting lotus: "So that's it. I absorbed all the essence within the lotus and was reborn inside it."

After the shock came wild joy, and Su Hao's face flushed with excitement.

This meant he had obtained a supreme inheritance and heaven-defying aptitude; his destiny was about to be completely rewritten!

He clenched his fist tightly, but his expression changed again. His grip was incredibly powerful—this was not the strength a Body Tempering practitioner should possess.

In Body Tempering, even at the peak, one only possessed the strength of three hundred catties.

Yet, as Su Hao clenched his fist, he felt he had surpassed that by several times!

With a thought, he checked his internal state and jumped up in excitement. His Qi Sea had actually opened, reaching the size of a fist, with golden currents flowing within.

He had entered the Qi Condensation stage, taking the first step into the Immortal Gate!

"Ha!"

Su Hao exerted his strength and threw a punch. The ice beneath him shattered instantly, collapsing in a chain reaction. Not only that, but the lake water below was also churned into massive waves.

Such power was definitely at least two thousand catties!

"Boom!"

As the ice surface collapsed, Su Hao leaped into the air. His body was as nimble as a soaring swallow, covering a hundred meters in a single bound to clear the lake's perimeter.

"With a Qi Sea the size of a fist, this is the first level of Qi Condensation. An ordinary person at the first level only possesses a thousand catties of strength, but I have reached two thousand—equivalent to the raw power of an average person at the second level. It's truly terrifying!"

This wasn't a dream after all. I have obtained heaven-defying aptitude and a supreme inheritance. I can become strong; I can protect Yu'er. We won't have to be bullied by others ever again!

Su Hao roared at the sky. For years, he had suppressed an infinite rage within his heart. As a man, to be trampled like an ant and insulted as trash—what kind of pathetic existence was that?

In Su Hao's heart, a man should stand tall and upright, living with integrity and settling grudges with swift vengeance!

It was just that, in the past, he had the will but lacked the strength; a single cent could baffle a hero.

But today, he, Su Hao, had finally broken free. From this day forward, no one would ever make him bow his head again!

"Yu'er, wait for me!"

Su Hao clenched his fist tightly, his eyes turning bloodshot. Great Elder, you just wait for me!