"Ah!" In the dungeon's murk, Murray Scurr's eyes snapped open. Pain burned through him, and hatred followed close behind. He was lashed to a torture rack. Two blood-caked iron hooks pierced his shoulder blades, and four chains pinned his hands and feet so tightly he could barely breathe. Worse still, a jagged wound gaped across his abdomen. He had already been packed with medicinal powder to keep him alive, yet blood still seeped out in stubborn threads. The agony came in waves, grinding him down again and again. But no torment of flesh compared to what roared in his chest. He had been gifted since childhood. At eight, he had sensed Heaven-Earth Origin Energy and stepped into the Spirit Movement Realm. His parents had died early, and Marcus Scurr, the clan head, had taken a liking to him and adopted him as an adoptive father. After that, his rise had been unstoppable. At seventeen, he had condensed a Seventh-grade Life Palace. A Life Palace's grade decided everything. First-grade was the weakest, Tenth-grade Life Palace the strongest. Talent, destiny, the road ahead, all of it was written there. The moment his Seventh-grade Life Palace appeared, Tranquil City had been shaken to its core. He had become the youngest to reach the Life Palace Realm, and his Life Palace had been the strongest. A year later, the Martial House, the greatest academy for a thousand miles around, had personally invited him. His future had looked bright enough to blind. Then, half a month ago, it had all been crushed. Marcus Scurr had ripped out his Life Palace with his own hands and handed it to his adoptive brother, Evan Scurr, to refine with an Evil Art. No matter the consequences, they had forced Evan into an Acquired Twin Life Palace. "Clang!" The door flew open. "Well, well. Finally awake?" a voice drawled, dripping with mockery. Murray lifted his head. A middle-aged man and a young man stepped inside. The instant he saw them, Murray thrashed like a madman. The four chains rang out, metal shrieking against metal. "Why?" His voice cracked raw. "Marcus Scurr, for ten years I treated you like my real father. I did whatever you told me. I gave everything to you and your son. Why did you still dig out my Life Palace for Evan?" "Why?" Evan let out a cold laugh, triumph and contempt glittering in his eyes. "Because you're a dog my father raised. Understand? If it weren't for your decent talent, and if I hadn't obtained the Secret Art of Seizing Life Palaces ten years ago, do you think Father would have ever taken in some collateral orphan like you as an adoptive son?" He stepped closer, savoring every word. "Ten years. I waited ten whole years for your Life Palace. Do you have any idea how much I suffered? How much I endured?" Evan's grin widened. "And your Life Palace really did surprise me. Pure. Powerful. After refining it, my cultivation soared, and I achieved a Twin Life Palace. I surpassed what you used to be." He threw his head back and laughed. "I'm not just Tranquil City's top genius anymore. I'm the top prodigy of three cities within a thousand miles. And I'll be taking your place at the Martial House." Murray stared at Evan's delighted madness, then at Marcus's icy indifference. On Murray's blood-smeared face, a self-mocking smile slowly formed, bleak and broken. He understood. He understood everything. From the very beginning, he had been nothing but a tool. Every ounce of effort he had poured into his life had been used to dress someone else for glory. "So no matter how well I did, even if I treated you like my own father and gave up the best resources, I was still just a stepping stone for your real son." His smile sharpened into something cruel. "Too bad your real son never amounted to anything." "You think stealing my Life Palace will make him some peerless genius?" Murray's eyes blazed. "He's crowing over a little borrowed vanity. Sooner or later, he'll suffer backlash. He'll die without even bones left to bury." Murray's voice dropped, each word a curse carved in stone. "Marcus Scurr, your retribution is coming." Marcus and Evan's faces darkened. Secret Arts came with harsh limits and even harsher prices, but they believed that once they were strong enough, they would find a way to solve everything. Marcus sneered. "An Ungrateful Wolf, through and through. A thankless piece of trash. You should be grateful you were allowed to make room for my two sons." He turned and walked out. From start to finish, there was not a trace of pity or shame in his eyes. Evan did not follow. "Murray," he said softly, almost kindly, "whatever happens to me later, you won't live to see it." He leaned in, voice turning playful. "But five days ago was supposed to be your wedding day, wasn't it? What a shame. Your fiancée was famous for miles. A heaven-blessed beauty." Jocelyn. Murray's heart jolted. Before he could speak, Evan's grin twisted into a snarl. "Do you know how we covered our tracks after we took you? 'Murray Scurr assaulted an innocent woman, enraged a powerful expert, got his cultivation crippled, and vanished without a trace.'" Evan clicked his tongue. "The Hauk family wanted to protect their reputation, so they immediately broke off the engagement." Murray's throat tightened. Evan continued, savoring the knife he was driving in. "Too bad your fiancée was hopelessly devoted to you. She refused to believe it. She insisted on the marriage and even stormed your clan alone. But no matter how much she refused to believe, she couldn't beat my father's mouth and mine." "That's a lie…" Murray choked, tears spilling hot and uncontrollable. "It's all slander. Jocelyn, don't believe them…" He and Jocelyn Hauk had met three years ago. They had cultivated together, trained together, and braved danger side by side. Joy, hardship, suffering, they had shared it all. Their bond ran deep. Half a year ago, he had gone to the Hauk family to propose. They had agreed without hesitation. Ten more days, and he would have finally married Jocelyn. And Marcus and Evan had destroyed it with their own hands. Evan smirked. "You know how heartbroken Jocelyn Hauk was when she went back? Even I felt sorry for her." His eyes narrowed, jealousy boiling over. "So why did she only ever choose you? Why wouldn't she even look at me?" His voice rose, suddenly furious. "I could have cared for her! I could have protected her! I could have done everything for her! Why wouldn't she accept me? Why did she only ever have eyes for you?" Murray's lips curled with disgust. He spat a mouthful of bloody phlegm straight into Evan's face. "How could Jocelyn ever choose something lower than a pig or a dog?" Evan wiped his face. His whole body shook with rage. "You dared to spit on me!" "Thud!" "Aah!" Evan drove a fist into Murray's abdomen. The medicinal powder scattered in a pale shower. The scabbed wound split open on the spot, blood spraying as pain ripped through Murray's organs. Evan leaned close, voice venomous. "Murray, you're already a cripple. You and that bitch will both end badly." He laughed, eyes bright with malice. "Let me tell you something. After Jocelyn Hauk went back, she was devastated. People said she went mad. She's been missing for five days. No one can find her." He chuckled, slow and cruel. "A woman who loved you that much got driven insane. Does it hurt? Do you feel powerless?" "Animal…!" Murray roared, eyes splitting with fury as he struggled against the chains until they screamed. "Animal!" "I swear I'll make you pay in blood!" he howled. "I'll make all of you repay your debts in blood!" "Repay in blood?" Evan's smile turned lazy. "Do you think we kept you alive because we wanted to spare you?" He pulled out a dagger and twirled it once, almost casually. Then he surged forward and plunged it into Murray's chest. Murray's body convulsed. His breath hitched. Evan's voice was almost reverent. "Your heart is a Seven-Orifice Exquisite Heart. Any art or Battle Technique, you can learn it in the shortest time. Something that good sitting in your body is a waste." He tapped the dagger's hilt. "My younger brother was born with a weak heart. That Forbidden Art includes a Heart Replacement Art. We kept you alive for one reason only: to take your Seven-Orifice Exquisite Heart and give it to him." Evan's eyes gleamed. "He waited ten years for it too, just like I did." With that, Evan carved a long, savage cut across Murray's left chest. Blood poured out in a thick rush. "Aaah!" "You're just a dog my father raised," Evan snarled. "What's the point of a dog being strong? You were in our way, that's all." He straightened, as if explaining something obvious. "So what if the Forbidden Art has a terrible price? It made us stronger than before, didn't it? Once we're powerful enough, we'll solve those problems one by one." Evan pulled the dagger back, then licked the blood off the blade, eyes fever-bright. "I take your Elixir Field. My brother takes your heart. That's fair, isn't it?" Murray's scream echoed off the stone. Evan laughed and strode toward the door. "Three days from now, my brother will come and take your Seven-Orifice Exquisite Heart. Enjoy your last three days." The door slammed behind him. Murray stared at his retreating back. Rage surged until it felt like it would split him apart. His eyes were wild, almost feral. "Aaah! I refuse!" he roared. "I, Murray Scurr, never wronged anyone in my life. I had the talent of a genius. How could I become the stepping stone of beasts like you?" "You want me dead?" His voice shook the dungeon. "Then I'll make you repay your debts in blood!" "Everyone who bullied me, humiliated me, I'll kill them even if it costs me everything!" His throat tightened. "Jocelyn… please forgive me. I swear I'll find you. I'll spend my whole life making it up to you. I'll protect you." As he bellowed those vows, a mouthful of reversed blood surged up his throat. "Blargh!" He spat it out in a dark splash. At that moment, a thin crack appeared between his brows. Light burst from it. "Made up your mind?" a voice asked. The radiance gathered into a disheveled figure with hair hanging loose. It looked unreal, its features blurred and indistinct, eerie beyond words. Murray glared at it, teeth grinding. "You madman," he rasped. "You finally decided to show yourself." "Made up your mind?" the phantom repeated, as if it had not heard him at all. "What choice do I have?" Murray's voice trembled with hate and desperation. "Isn't this exactly what you wanted… Mad Immortal Emperor?"