Pain.

That was all Zhelan felt when he woke up. His head was throbbing in agony and his entire body seemed to be burning as though he was drowning in a fiery pit. He could not make out what was happening and to make it worse, he could not open his eyes at all.

Dread filled him and Zhelan started panicking at once. This was a situation he had never faced before nor had he heard anyone speak about it.

“Is it normal in cultivation?’ He pondered. But barely had the thought entered his mind that he shook his head. ‘Impossible. It cannot be. There must be something wrong…..’

The next instant, his mind went blank and he recalled the strange voice he had heard while he was close to reaching immortality. All that he had heard and all that had transpired at the cliff came back to him and just like that, the burning sensation vanished and his eyes snapped open.

Shock and fear. These were the only two emotions he had at that moment and he kept blinking as he tried to comprehend all that had occurred to him.

‘Was it all a dream?’ He wondered, still baffled. Am I hallucinating things now? Was I not condemned to death?’

A myriad of questions popped up in his mind for which he had no answers.

And what surprised him more was that he was in an isolated place and there was no one in sight. It was barren land, completely devoid of any flora or fauna.

‘What is this place? Why can I not see anyone here?’ He thought as he stood up slowly. He was still dressed in the same clothes he remembered to have worn before the strange incident occurred.

‘What is happening? What place is this?’ Zhelan looked around him, only to find the desolate land stretching as far as his eyes could see. The panic and worry he was trying hard to suppress only increased as time passed.

‘I need to call my slaves. They will help me get out of here. Yes.’ Zhelan let out a sigh of relief and closed his eyes to summon his servants. But a frown marred his face when he sensed a broken link between him and the ghosts. He could not connect to them whatsoever. Even worse, he did not even sense the Qi in him. The Qi he had so arrogantly boasted about to everyone had disappeared entirely, leaving him confused, lost and mortified.

‘Why am I not able to sense my Qi? What the fuck is happening?’ His face blanched and he almost lost his footing. ‘Why? Just why?’

Right at that moment, Zhelan heard a peal of diabolical laughter, one that had chills running down his spine.

‘How are you, Zhelan? Do you remember me?’

Zhelan stiffened immediately when he recognized the voice and looked around him to find the man.

“Ahhh, uhhh, ahhh, there is no use looking around, Zhelan. You will not be able to find me.” The voice spoke and Zhelan clenched his fists as waves of fury burst through him.

“Why?” That was all he could manage to say. All that he had assumed to be his dream, a hallucination was in fact reality and he had actually lost everything.

“You know the answer, Zhelan. You know why you were punished.” The voice spoke, this time, stern and serious.

“Fine. In that case, I should be dead since I was condemned to death as my punishment. What am I doing here and what is this stupid place?”

“Ohh, I wanted you dead. Trust me.” The voice continued. “But the heavens had other plans in mind.”

“What do you mean?” Zhelan frowned while his heart started to thump madly when an odd thought entered his mind.

“It is not the time for you to die yet. I….I…”

Zhelan heard the man hesitate for the first time and his brows shot up immediately.

“You died sooner than your time. So…”

“Wait.” Zhelan intervened and the man stopped right away. “I did not die on my own. You killed me. So, please mind your words.”

“They are one and the same.”

“No, they are not.” Zhelan argued. Although the man was yet to confirm his thoughts, Zhelan already knew what was about to happen. He did not hold back and fought with him verbally. Since he could not see the man, he could only attack him ruthlessly with words.

“Fine. I killed you before your time was over. So….”

“So?” Zhelan prompted, waiting for the man to say the words he was so desperately wishing to hear.

“So, you will have to go back.”

This time, Zhelan could not conceal his joy and he grinned widely. Although he did not speak a word, his expression showed his emotions. He was rejoicing internally and he was just short of yelling in excitement.

“But not to worry. So what if I cannot condemn you to death?” The man sneered and Zhelan’s smile slipped immediately. “I can still punish you in other ways.”

“No, you cannot do it,” Zhelan warned him. All of a sudden, a sense of foreboding filled him and he took a step back instinctively.

“Oh, I can. I can do this to you. Do not worry.” The man chuckled and to Zhelan, it seemed as though he was ridiculing him.

Zhelan stayed silent, not wishing to hear another word from the man. However, his silent wish went unanswered.

“Xie Zhelan, you are proud of your powers and abilities. Am I right?”

Zhelan’s heart dropped at his words and he shook his head frantically.

“What would happen if I were to take away all your powers?”

It would be worse than death, Zhelan knew it. Without his abilities, he was nothing and was as good as dead and it seemed as though the man had heard his thoughts.

“Yes, it would be worse than death.” His complacent voice made Zhelan lose his mind.

“Don’t you dare do it.”

“You have no right to order me.” The man sneered. “I have dominance over you and this time, I will use them to crush you. You will go back to the mortal realm and when you wake up next, all your powers will be gone, along with your Qi.”

“No,” Zhelan shouted and felt a sting of pain in his chest. His vision blurred and he lost consciousness the next instant.