Lotus Incarnation

A bitter wind howled, and snow blanketed the world.

Snow fell over the frozen lake, covering it completely in white. But at a glance, a one-meter-wide hole in the ice stood out starkly against that "white cloth."

Two men in black hurried over. They left no tracks in the snow, moving through the air as if by some immortal power. Nearing the lake, they tossed a black sack weighted with several large stones into the hole in the ice.

"By next spring, the body will have rotted. No one will find it," one of the men in black said coldly, gazing at the frozen lake.

The two waited for a while. When the sack failed to float back up, they left—but they didn't notice the golden lotus beneath the lake, glowing brilliantly like pure gold, slowly rising toward the surface.

Su Hao was inside the sack. His throat had been slit, and blood gushed out, seeping through the sack and dispersing in the lake water.

"I'm dying. Father is gone. What will happen to Yu'er..." Su Hao's thoughts came in fits and starts, growing increasingly hazy.

Su Hao had once been the young master of the Su Family in Great Flame City. Five years ago, he had been a genius. But after reaching Body Tempering Peak, he had been unable to open his Qi Sea and condense magical power. The genius had become a waste.

Then, five years ago, his father had disappeared without a trace, and the Great Elder had become acting clan head. Su Hao's life had grown worse by the day. He was the young clan master, yet even servants scolded and beat him.

Recently, those people had gone too far. They had even decided to marry off his younger sister, Su Yu'er, to Su Wuzhi, the Great Elder's third son. That fool was a complete idiot, with snot running from his nose all day. Whenever he saw a woman, he called her his wife.

All these years, Su Hao had been unable to open his Qi Sea and generate magical power, suffering in despair. Whenever the other members of the family saw him, they either beat and scolded him or humiliated him. Only Yu'er had stayed by his side, never abandoning him.

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

Weighted down by the massive stones, the black sack sank steadily toward the bottom of the lake, while the lotus there grew upward.

In a short while, the two met.

Blood covered the outside of the sack. It spread through the lake water and mingled with the golden lotus's brilliant glow.

Whoosh!

The golden lotus was as large as a washbasin. At first, it had not fully bloomed, but as soon as it mingled with the blood, it opened wide.

At its center was a tiny figure, no bigger than a fist, shining with dazzling golden light.

As the blood washed over him, the little figure struggled. A thought rang out: "No! Damn it! Whose blood is this, appearing now to seize my Innate Dao Body?"

His piteous cries came in fits and starts, but there was no sound—only a soul-thought.

"Where am I?"

After an unknown amount of time, Su Hao opened his eyes and stared blankly at his surroundings. Then his expression twisted with rage. "I remember now. The Great Elder sent people to kill me. They slit my throat. Shouldn't I be dead?"

"No, wait. What is this? Why am I on top of a lotus?" Su Hao touched his throat. There wasn't even a wound. His skin was smooth and delicate, and when he lowered his head, he stared in stunned bewilderment.

He was sitting cross-legged at the center of a gigantic lotus. The flower had withered, and its leaves were rotting.

What in the world was going on?

Boom!

Just then, Su Hao's mind suddenly shook. A stream of strange, terrifying information poured into his brain...

"I, the Supreme Devil Lord, was one of the nine Immortal Emperors of the Immortal Realm. During the great battle in the Immortal Realm, three Immortal Emperors joined forces to attack me, and I nearly died. But I was fortunate enough to encounter a ray of Innate Dao Light descending from the heavens above. It turned out to be an Innate Golden Lotus, born from the very origin of heaven and earth."

"My body exploded, and my Primordial Spirit shattered. But a trace of my Primordial Spirit's power clung to the Innate Dao Light. After a full thousand years, the lotus finally grew, and now I am on the verge of revival."

"Once I am reborn, the Innate Golden Lotus will take human form, becoming an Innate Dao Body. My aptitude will be hundreds, even thousands of times greater than in my previous life. I can surpass the Immortal Emperors and become the Origin Ancestor."

"Damn this blood, appearing now and stealing my Innate Dao Body..."

Endless information burrowed into Su Hao's mind like a raging flood, making his head throb as if it would split. On the verge of passing out, he fell to the ground and let out a heart-wrenching scream.

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

Su Hao opened his eyes, shock filling them to the brim!

"The Supreme Devil Lord, the Innate Dao Light, the Golden Lotus Incarnation... So I came back to life?" Su Hao had learned everything.

The Supreme Devil Lord had been one of the nine Immortal Emperors of the Immortal Realm, and all the inheritance within him now belonged to Su Hao. Supreme immortal arts, heaven-reaching techniques, alchemy, forging, talisman-making... he was practically proficient in everything.

More importantly, Su Hao now knew that he had obtained the golden lotus formed from the Innate Dao Light and become an Innate Dao Body—the darling of heaven and earth itself.

He lowered his head and looked at the withered, rotting lotus. "So that's what happened. I absorbed all the essence inside the lotus and was reborn within it."

After the shock came overwhelming joy. Su Hao's face flushed with excitement.

This meant he had gained an unparalleled inheritance and heaven-defying aptitude. His fate was about to be rewritten completely!

Su Hao clenched his fist, but his expression changed again. His hand closed with tremendous strength—far more than anyone at the Body Tempering stage should possess.

Even at its peak, Body Tempering granted a person only three hundred jin of strength.

But Su Hao could feel that his strength was several times greater!

He focused his thoughts and examined himself. Excited, he sprang to his feet. His Qi Sea had already been opened, and it was the size of a fist, filled with golden currents.

He had entered Qi Condensation—the first step onto the immortal path!

"Ha!"

Su Hao gathered his strength and punched down. The ice beneath him exploded and collapsed in a chain reaction. What's more, the lake water below surged into enormous waves.

Such strength was definitely two thousand jin!

Boom!

As the ice collapsed, Su Hao leaped into the air. His body was light and agile as a flying swallow, and with a single bound he soared a hundred meters, clear of the lake.

"My Qi Sea is the size of a fist. This is Qi Condensation, First Layer. An ordinary person at the first layer has only a thousand jin of strength, but I have two thousand—equal to the strength of an ordinary person at the second layer. This is terrifying!"

"So it wasn't a dream after all. I've gained heaven-defying aptitude and an unparalleled inheritance. I can become strong now. I can protect Yu'er. We won't have to let people bully us anymore!"

Su Hao threw his head back and roared. For years, boundless fury had been buried in his heart. He was a man, yet people trampled him like an ant and cursed him as a good-for-nothing. What a disgrace!

In Su Hao's heart, a man should stand upright and proud, with his head reaching the sky, free to repay every kindness and avenge every wrong!

But before, he had been willing yet powerless; even a little strength had been enough to defeat a hero!

Today, at last, Su Hao had broken free. From now on, no one would make him bow his head!

"Yu'er, wait for me!"

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