C2 You Don't Need to Wait for Me to Take My Revenge

"Who's there? Who's speaking?"

The voice caught Ling Chuchu off guard—it was eerily familiar.

Thud!

A dull thump echoed as a shadow burst forth from the coffin, landing squarely before the onlookers.

Liu Changqing, clad in a black shroud, wore a chilling smirk. His eyes, brimming with lethal intent, bore into Ling Chuchu, who looked on the verge of tears.

"Liu Changqing..."

The crowd was shell-shocked at the sight, and someone let out an involuntary cry of disbelief.

"No... it can't be! Liu Changqing, how can you be alive? You were dead!"

Tears streaked Ling Chuchu's face, yet her wide, watery eyes betrayed a deep-seated terror.

Liu Changqing gave Ling Chuchu an icy stare, remaining silent.

"Changqing! You're alive! Oh, thank goodness! You have no idea how much I've cried these past few days! I'm just relieved you're alright..."

Ling Chuchu caught Liu Changqing's frosty gaze and froze, fear flickering through her. She quickly masked her fright, dabbed away her tears, and stepped forward, reaching for Liu Changqing's hand with a coquettish intent.

But as she neared him, Ling Chuchu let out a startled yelp, feeling an unseen force shove her into the corner, where she landed with a thud.

"Filthy! Don't touch me!"

Liu Changqing's voice was devoid of warmth, as cold as ancient ice.

Ling Chuchu's heart lurched at his menacing look, unlike any she had seen from him before. He was like a man transformed.

"Changqing... hear me out... I'm truly innocent, I swear it wasn't my doing. It's all Lee Ming's fault... he's the one who betrayed you..."

Ling Chuchu picked herself up, intending to approach Liu Changqing once more, but the memory of her recent rebuff kept her at bay. She could only sit back down, her plea ending in a whisper.

"Leave!"

Liu Changqing's penetrating gaze slowly turned toward Ling Chuchu, enveloping her in a feeling akin to being trapped in a boundless abyss, causing her heart to clench suddenly.

"I..."

Ling Chuchu tried to speak, but Zhu Zhaofeng, already seething with rage, could no longer contain herself. She strode to the side, seized a broom, and stormed up to Ling Chuchu, bellowing, "You wretch! Not satisfied with hurting my son, you still have the gall to feign innocence here? My son told you to scram, and you're still here? I'll make you scram!"

With those words, Zhu Zhaofeng swung the broom down at Ling Chuchu.

"Ah!"

Startled by the impending strike, Ling Chuchu let out a sharp cry and scrambled away in panic. In her haste, she tripped and fell face-first into the dirt.

In that moment, Ling Chuchu was petrified, terrified of being hit if she was even a moment too slow. Disregarding her own disheveled state, she crawled desperately toward the exit of the breakfast shop.

The broom came crashing down, striking Ling Chuchu's ankle. Wincing in pain, she hastened her escape.

Zhu Zhaofeng watched Ling Chuchu's pitiful retreat, a sense of vindication swelling in her chest.

Once Ling Chuchu had fled, Zhu Zhaofeng dropped the broom and approached Liu Changqing. As she reached out to touch her son, Liu Changqing instinctively prepared to repel her with his Qi, but remembering his current situation, he swiftly withdrew it.

"Changqing... my son, is that really you?"

Zhu Zhaofeng's hands shook, her icy palm caressing Liu Changqing's face, terrified that she was living a dream that would vanish with a mere blink, resetting everything back to the beginning.

"Yes."

Despite his aversion to such closeness, Liu Changqing gave a curt nod.

"Changqing, Mom feels like you've changed, you seem so distant now!"

Zhu Zhaofeng gazed at her son, feeling as though she was facing a stranger.

Liu Changqing's transformation was jarring for her to adjust to.

"Going through a brush with death gives you a whole new perspective," Liu Changqing remarked nonchalantly, offering an explanation for his altered demeanor.

"Indeed! Dying once does tend to change a person! But thankfully, the heavens have shown mercy on us. Your son is still here!" Zhu Zhaofeng's eyes brimmed with happiness as she gazed at Liu Changqing. Regardless of everything, her son was alive, and that was what mattered.

"I'm heading back to my room now," Liu Changqing said, giving Zhu Zhaofeng a brief look. Without waiting for a response, he turned and made his way to his room.

Watching Liu Changqing's retreating figure, Zhu Zhaofeng couldn't help but think that despite his seemingly different mannerisms, he was still her son.

The neighbors were equally astonished by Liu Changqing's miraculous return from the dead. Yet, with Zhu Zhaofeng's patient explanations, they grudgingly came to terms with it. Afterward, they pitched in to dismantle the memorial hall and retreated to their own homes.

Back in his room, Liu Changqing surveyed the unfamiliar surroundings, his heart filled with a tumult of emotions.

With the sea star's spiritual energy depleted, regaining his former level of cultivation seemed as daunting as scaling the heavens. The scarce spiritual energy had nearly driven the planet's cultivators to extinction.

But a lack of spiritual energy wasn't going to halt his cultivation. Liu Changqing's mind was teeming with innumerable methods to generate spiritual energy. For him, it was a trivial matter.

The journey of cultivation was divinely orchestrated.

"Link the spirit to the meridians, unlock the origin to achieve rebirth, solidify the spirit to shatter the True Martial, and from there, the Great Dao emerges. To ascend to emperorship, the Sage unites all paths into one."

Each ascent to a minor realm brought about a significant leap in strength, while the chasm between major realms was vast, like a chasm separating heaven and earth.

Previously, Liu Changqing had reached the Great Emperor Stage, the Third Layer, the realm of the Immortal Emperor, the zenith of cultivation.

The past was too painful to dwell on. For Liu Changqing, the prospect of returning to the Great Emperor Stage was a distant dream.

"First, I need to decide on a cultivation technique to focus on."

The technique he had practiced in his previous life was formidable and aggressive. Yet, upon entering the Eye of the Universe, he realized how laughable it was for an Immortal Emperor, who once swept across a star domain, to have cultivated a technique so riddled with flaws.

Fate had granted Liu Changqing a rare opportunity to begin anew, and he was determined to select a cultivation technique with great care.

"This is the one I'll practice!"

After much contemplation, a sharp gleam of resolve shone in Liu Changqing's eyes—he had reached a decision.

Considering that even the most powerful technique from his past life in the Azure Dragon Domain was flawed, this time he would master the technique he had brought from the Eye of the Universe—the Primordial Scroll.

The Eye of the Universe could detect the weaknesses in my technique, right? Well, I'll turn the tables and use its own technique against it! Let's see how it fares then!

The thought of the Eye's formidable power only steeled Liu Changqing's resolve further.

The mental method of the Primordial Scroll surfaced in his thoughts. Seizing the moment, Liu Changqing crossed his legs and sat down, immersing himself in the intricacies of the text.

"Before the cosmos was ordered, chaos reigned supreme; with the emergence of the grandmist, the Great Dao was revealed!"

The mere beginning of the scroll revealed its depth to Liu Changqing. A soft radiance enveloped him, and over time, the glow was drawn inward, infusing his being.

"Phew!"

With a sudden motion, Liu Changqing's eyes snapped open as he expelled a breath of stale air. In his dantian, a bridge of light formed, crowned by the character "Lin" in small seal script, shimmering with golden brilliance.

The "Lin" bridge had successfully materialized!

As it took shape, the sparse spiritual energy around him seemed to respond, converging upon Liu Changqing. He trembled as his cultivation level surged forward, propelling him into the Spirit Awakening Stage.

"Lee Ming, I am not one to be trifled with. Today, you will experience the bitterness you once doled out!"

Rising to his feet, Liu Changqing recalled the indignities his body had endured. Vengeance would not be postponed until dawn!

He changed his attire and stepped out of the room. Guided by memory, he hailed a cab and set off for Lee Ming's villa.