Stuck in a Chinese novel

"For the crimes committed by the devil of the Imperial family, the council has decided to eradicate the imperial family. The first to be punished would be the parents of the devil, who brought that devil to the world." A middle-aged man said as he stood on top of a platform. Beside him knelt a man and a woman of a little older age. They were none other than the rightful rulers of the land, the emperor, and the empress of the empire.

They didn't dare to raise their head as they were ashamed of what had happened as well. It was true they had nothing to do with this and most probably their kind son wouldn't have given in to the powers of the darkness had it not been due to the current circumstances, but innocents were killed, innocents who had nothing to do with this.

They couldn't help but feel ashamed deeply due to that. The anger in the eyes of the people below was justified and even if they knew they shouldn't, they couldn't help but resent the kind rulers of the land for they were indeed the reason so many innocents had died.

"May the punishment be carried out." The middle-aged man announced and stepped aside.

A man carrying a heavy sword arrived beside the couple and raised his sword. In one swift slash, he severed their heads. Soon enough, their bodies were cleaned out, and while people threw stones at their bodies, another girl with eyes of the dead was brought to the stage. Her eyes were red and there were dark circles beneath her eyes.

Her eyes, which were once radiant as the sun were dimmed like there was no life left in them. There was nothing left about her. All the cruelty of the world had taken away the innocent young woman she once was. All that was left was a simple, lifeless husk.

She was already dead so even when people threw stones at her, she didn't react in the least. She was forced to kneel in the very place where her parents were just a few moments ago. Well, 'forced' was a little exaggerated. No one even had to push her for her to fall on her knees.

Her head was already fallen so, perhaps taking mercy on her, the executioner once again raised his sword and brought it down to end her life but before his sword could fall on her neck, a bright, luminous light emitted from her and before anyone could realize what was happening, the woman was nowhere to be seen. She had simply disappeared from her spot, leaving nothing behind.

~~

"Here, I saved her." A voice said to a young man, a young man who was none other than the crown prince of that empire. The crown prince couldn't see the owner of the voice but he could feel the power around him.

If he was envious of the power of the Song Clan or those around him before, he couldn't even dream of the power around him. A power that went beyond logic and defied all possibilities. That same power was around him, offering him a deal that worked so well for him so how could he not take it? Even when the owner of the voice could have made him do it but was instead offering him incentives in return. Power beyond recognition and the life of his only sister.

There was no way he could refuse.

"Do well to live until then." The voice said before it disappeared from the spot, leaving the young man and the unconscious woman alone. But that wasn't all. From where the voice disappeared, there was a strange cube that was lying on the ground. He remembered what the voice had said regarding the cube.

"The power to live forever," the young man muttered before he looked at the cube and extended his hand to pick it up. As he did, suddenly something began to flow through it and entered the body of the young man. He tried to let go of it but he couldn't. The cube stuck itself to the young man and began to disappear into his body, emitting a white light that began to illuminate the surroundings, turning the surroundings into green vegetation.

The air was purified, the young woman near him was healed, and the barren cold ground was soft with the lush green grass beneath him. In a word, the white light emitting from the cube was like a power of life that affected everything around him and even himself.

His height began to increase, and his body, which was thin for his age began to buff up, not so much to call him over-muscled but just enough to give him a lithe physique. His hair began to grow longer and his skin began to change to the paler side.

All in all, if someone didn't pay enough attention, he had completely changed from who he was. One would have to expend a lot of effort to know that it was the same crown prince of this empire.

Finally, the cube fully entered his body, engraving itself on his right forearm. The young man let out a loud gasp as everything ended. He gasped for air hungrily and tried to stabilize his breath but he still couldn't get the feeling of change out of his mind. The foreign feeling he felt even when he was inside his own body was strange, very strange for him.

But he had to live through it. After all, there were other things to focus on. "Yue!" He yelled and stood up, running to the young girl who was still unconscious. She, although not as much as the young man, was still changed enough to give her a healthy appearance and even more beautiful than before.

Her eyes fluttered as they slowly opened. He was worried she would be the same but as she saw him, she smiled. "Liao Gege." She said with an affectionate smile on her face. The young man didn't know what had happened to her but life had returned to her eyes and she didn't seem to remember what had happened and it was proven correct as they both conversed with each other.

"How could that! When did that happen, Gege?" The girl asked. She had no recollection of the last few days as they conversed. So, the young man didn't tell him anything either, anything about the truth at the very least.

So he simply told her that the Song family usurped their reign and took the throne of the empire. As for his family, unfortunately, he couldn't save them. The voice had given him a choice. Saving even one person was going against destiny so saving three was impossible. In the end, he had no choice but to choose and he chose his sister.

"Then…Then what about Shao Gege?" The young girl named Yue asked. The young man remained silent. He didn't know how to tell her that their brother had succumbed to the dark side and become an evil cultivator. That he was the entire reason their parents were dead.

Did he resent him? Yes, he did.

Did he want his sweet and innocent sister to resent him? No, he did not.

He didn't want that to be the last memory she had of him. While he vowed to take care of his brother so his soul could rest and free him from the power of darkness, he decided to take that burden on only himself, making sure her sister remained the sweet and innocent young lady she was.

The power of the cube could allow him to extend the life span of himself and some more people, only people he had chosen as his trusted allies.

The power of body reformation, a magical power that even the high-ranking cultivators failed to attain. That was the power the cube was granting him. A power that even the higher-ranked cultivators would kill for.

'Just you wait, people of the Song family.' He vowed to punish all those responsible as well. His brother may have been to pull the string but the ones who were armed with the arrow were them and all those who eyes the throne of their family. He made sure to take his revenge sooner or later.

For that, he had to gain strength and power that no one in the world could stop. The power that even the high-ranking cultivators would fear. Power to destroy.

~~

"5000 years, you say?" A voice asked.

[Yes]

Another voice replied. The owner of the first voice remained silent as he didn't know whether or not that was the correct move.

[They won't remain quiet]

[That girl was destined to die that day]

"Hah!" The owner of the voice scoffed as if it was a joke and asked, "And since when have I ever cared about destiny?"

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"The groundwork is laid. The stage is set. Now we have to wait for the actors to play their part." The voice said as it faded away slowly, word by word, as what was left behind was nothing but darkness.