Cold.
That was the first thing Ling Tian registered.
Then pain—white-hot and searing.
He groaned, forcing his eyes open. He lay at the bottom of a rocky ravine, half-submerged in a shallow stream. His body was a tapestry of bruises and broken skin.
Alive.
Somehow.
He tried to move, but agony lanced through his ribs. Gritting his teeth, he rolled onto his side, scanning his surroundings. The ravine was deep, its walls sheer. No way to climb out in his condition.
Night was falling. The howls of demon beasts echoed in the distance.
I'm going to die here.
The thought should have terrified him. Instead, it only fueled the fire in his chest.
No.
He wouldn't die like this. Not before he uncovered the truth about his clan's massacre. Not before he made those responsible pay.
With a growl, he forced himself to crawl toward the bank. His fingers brushed something smooth in the dirt.
The jade pendant.
It must have fallen with him.
He clutched it to his chest, his breath ragged.
Then—
A pulse.
The pendant glowed, a deep crimson light bleeding through his fingers.
A voice, ancient and thunderous, echoed in his mind:
"Awaken, heir of the Eternal Dragon."
And then—fire.