Chapter 1

A weak candlelight flickered in the dim dungeon of the Ashcroft Manor in Philodorah's outskirts.

"It's finally done!" Theodore Yardley said while gazing at his wife with a complicated expression. "I hope you'll keep your promise."

"Yes, it's finally done," the breathtakingly beautiful woman sitting cross-legged before him echoed.

She was dressed in a red dress that accentuated her voluptuous figure. Her fair skin was smooth and flawless in every way.

She was Vivienne Ashcroft—the princess of the Ashcrofts and the most stunning woman of Philodorah.

Theodore looked pitifully frail compared to her. His face was deathly pale, and his body was thin to the point of being gaunt. There was only resentment and helplessness left in his eyes.

Vivienne rose to her feet and looked down at him. There wasn't a trace of affection a wife should have for her husband in her eyes. Instead, there was only pity. "I will keep my promise and let you go. I will also ensure the safety of your family."

As he heard this, the helplessness in Theodore's eyes faded slightly and was replaced by a glimmer of hope.

At the age of five, he had awakened the Solarborn Physique. It was a rare gift, but it brought him no fortune. Instead, it became the source of disaster for both him and his family.

The Yardleys were an insignificant family in Philodorah. As soon as the news spread, powerful forces began to suppress them. Each attack was more ruthless than the last.

His father had died before his very eyes, killed while trying to protect him. The family stood on the brink of annihilation.

At that critical moment, the Ashcrofts intervened on the condition that Theodore marry into their family.

To save his remaining family members, Theodore agreed and became the Ashcrofts' live-in son-in-law.

He once believed that the Ashcrofts valued his potential and wanted to nurture him.

He couldn't have been more wrong. The Ashcrofts never intended to nurture him—they only brought him in to serve as a dual cultivation furnace for Vivienne, who possessed the Lunarborn Physique.

Theodore was consumed by despair, but he knew that if he refused, his family would lose the Ashcrofts' protection and be completely wiped out.

Vivienne had promised him that once her cultivation was complete, she would let him go and guarantee his family's safety.

Thirteen years.

He had been locked in this dark dungeon for thirteen years, waiting for the day he could finally step into the light once more.

"But..." Vivienne continued speaking as she narrowed her eyes and drew the sword at her waist, thrusting it at him.

The blade flashed; Theodore had no strength to resist the attack.

"Why?" Shock and fury filled his voice as he stared at his severed right hand tendon. "I’ve cooperated with you for thirteen years! Why would you still do this to me now that you've completed the Solar and Lunar Convergence and attained Immortal Form?"

"Why?" Vivienne's expression remained cold. "Do you think that those noble families allied against you thirteen years ago just because of your Solarborn Physique?"

She smirked and continued, "To them, your physique was merely an opportunity to launch an attack. What they truly sought was the Yardleys' Seraphic Swordplay. Legend has it that it is a sword technique close to achieving immortality. If mastered, no family in Philodorah could stand against the Yardleys."

"Do you think the Yardleys would have ever let them kill my father if we had such a technique?" Theodore's face contorted with rage. "Do you think I would have willingly become the Ashcrofts' live-in son-in-law and become your cultivation furnace?"

"Is there any point in hiding it now?" Vivienne burst into laughter. "Did you really think no one knew about you secretly practicing sword techniques after marrying into the Ashcrofts?"

"No way! How could you possibly—" Theodore's heart trembled. He couldn't believe his ears.

"How could I possibly know?" Vivienne looked at him pitifully. "Your grandfather was quite the strategist. Even when his son was murdered, he refused to hand over the Seraphic Swordplay. He must have known that even if he did, the Yardleys would still face destruction. So, he agreed to send you to the Ashcrofts. If not for our strength, we might have met the same fate as the Yardleys. If you were to master the sword technique, you would wipe out the Ashcrofts and every other noble family in Philodorah."

Then, Vivienne's sword slashed through the air once more.

Theodore could only watch as blood gushed out from the wound in the tendon of his severed left hand.

"It's a shame that your grandfather was wrong about one thing. We don't care about the sword technique. What we want is your Solarborn Physique. What I want to know is—how are you able to cultivate the technique when the rest of the Yardleys can't?" Vivienne asked.

With his severed tendons, he could no longer suppress the fury raging within him. "Go to hell, you wretch!" Theodore roared.

When he married into the Ashcrofts, his grandfather had entrusted him with the Seraphic Swordplay, hoping he could master it under the family's protection.

For thirteen years, he lived like an obedient and humble dog at the Ashcrofts. He had swallowed every humiliation, from serving as a furnace to enduring the scorn of the servants who delivered his food. He never fought back because he knew this was his only chance and he had to succeed.

He could not allow the tragedy from thirteen years ago to repeat itself.

"You won't speak, huh?" Vivienne glanced at him coldly and delivered two more slashes, severing the tendons in both his feet without hesitation.

"Well, it doesn’t matter. I was only curious about it. So what if the Yardleys' sword technique is exquisite? It is only close to achieving immortality. But… I have already transcended the Innate Realm and become an immortal."

"You bitch!" Theodore trembled violently due to the pain and cursed, "You will die a miserable death!"

Vivienne chuckled and replied, "Do you think this is over?"

"Wh-what more do you want?"

A shadow of fear crossed Theodore's face; his hands and feet were crippled. However, he stood no chance against her even before he was hurt. Vivienne had stepped into the Immortal Realm after breaking through the Innate Realm.

"Severing the tendons in your hands and feet ensures that you can’t wield a sword or walk—but that alone isn’t enough!"

In a flash, she appeared before him and struck his abdomen with crushing force.

Theodore was sent flying the next moment. The impact was so intense that he nearly passed out from the pain.

"Only by destroying your energy core can I sever your cultivation foundation completely."

Vivienne stepped forward and sealed several of Theodore's major pressure points before taking out a pill. Then, she forced it into his mouth and whispered, "I promised not to kill you, but… the path to immortality ends here for you. I'll walk the rest of it for you. Enjoy your life as a mortal from now on."

"You wicked wretch!"

Theodore let out an agonized roar. His disheveled hair made him look like a demon crawling out of the depths of hell.

If it were just crippled limbs, he would still have a chance with the faint wisp of sword intent in his heart. If he were to step into the Innate Realm, he could rise again.

Since his energy core had been shattered, his foundation was ruined. The sword intent he possessed was utterly useless.

His grandfather's hopes and his thirteen years of suffering were all destroyed in a single moment.

Theodore longed to tear apart the woman before him, but he was powerless to do anything.

"I've ordered the servants not to stop you if you leave. But I think… you'd be better off staying here."

Without sparing him another glance, Vivienne sheathed her sword and left.

"So, this is what you call keeping your promise?"

Theodore sprawled on the cold floor with blood in his mouth as he shouted with anguish.

During the thirteen years of dual cultivation, he had developed a sliver of affection for Vivienne deep within his heart. However, he did not expect her to be such a cruel person.

It was true that she kept her word, but at the same time, she utterly destroyed his future and his last shred of hope. Theodore refused to accept this outcome because this was also the hope of his entire family.

"No! I refuse to accept this!"

A crimson light flashed in his eyes as the rage and unwillingness in his heart ignited the sword intent he had cultivated over thirteen long years.

Boom!

A deafening roar echoed in his mind as if the heavens and earth were splitting apart. That faint wisp of sword intent, now like a raging inferno, surged through his being.

"Just like a cycle, after rain comes sunshine. Imperfections at birth can be corrected with time…"

A deep voice echoed in Theodore's mind. His bloodshot eyes suddenly glowed with a silvery-white light.

In an instant, that light engulfed his entire vision. Like his sword intent, it spread through his body, fusing with him completely.

Had Vivienne still been there to witness it, she would have been utterly shocked.

At this very moment, Theodore was floating in midair. His body shimmered like a precious gemstone, emitting a dazzling silver glow.