Yun Che's body began to glow.
Not faintly—not gently—but with a blinding brilliance that exploded outward like a newborn star. The courtyard erupted into chaos as guests recoiled, crying out as the intense light scorched their vision. Hands flew to cover eyes, sleeves lifted instinctively. Even seasoned cultivators flinched.
Closest of all stood Xia Qingyue. Though she reacted swiftly, raising an arm to shield her face, shock rippled through her heart. Yun Che was a cripple—he shouldn't have been able to summon even a flicker of profound light.
Since when… could he cultivate?
Her breath caught, and her mind raced.
Far away, standing atop a distant pavilion, a figure stirred the moment she sensed the eruption of power. Her brows tightened. In an instant, she vaulted into the air, snow-white sleeves billowing behind her like the wings of a celestial swan as she rushed toward the Xia manor.
Her beauty was unmatched—skin pale as snow, hair dark as midnight, lips like ripe cherry blossoms. She carried herself with a serene, untouchable aura, pure and holy, as though she walked a step removed from the mortal realm.
Chu Yueli—Xia Qingyue's master.
But now, even her calm expression faltered.
"This pressure… Qingyue, what in the world is happening over there?"
Back on the stage, Xiao Yulong prepared to attack— Only to freeze mid-step, eyes bulging.
"What… what is this?!" he choked.
His limbs refused to move. A crushing force—an invisible weight—pressed down on him. Not profound energy, not killing intent… Something deeper. Something ancient. Something that made his soul tremble.
All around the courtyard, guests remained hunched and shielding their eyes until the blinding light finally dimmed. But it didn't fade away. It compressed—folding inward, shaping itself around a humanoid silhouette.
Gasps echoed as the brilliance shrank into a glowing outline of a man.
Then the light began to fall away like drifting petals.
Starting at the feet, Yun Che's wedding shoes dissolved into particles of white light, replaced by strange black footwear with white tabi-like socks. His ankles and calves materialized next—clad in unfamiliar black cloth.
More of the light flaked away.
His robes reshaped themselves into black, flowing garments. A white sash formed at his waist. The red strap slung from his right shoulder to his hip ignited into existence, crossing his chest in a bold diagonal line. His sleeves darkened into the distinct cut of foreign attire no one had ever seen before. A long, obsidian blade appeared on his back, its sheath blending seamlessly with his clothes.
The last of the light crept upward.
His hair—long, raven-black—unfurled behind him, fluttering in an unseen breeze. His face emerged, sharper, calmer, more defined. His earlier wedding attire had vanished completely.
And with him stood someone new— someone no longer crippled, no longer timid, no longer weak.
Someone untouchable.
His presence carried no aura. None at all. Yet that absence alone suffocated the entire courtyard.
No profound practitioner present could sense his level. No one could measure him. No one could understand him.
Because they had never seen a being like him.
Silence fell—heavy, breathless, absolute.
Even Chu Yueli, now descending upon the city's rooftop, stared down with rare disbelief.
Yun Che opened his eyes slowly.
A smirk curved his lips. "How's that?"
His voice was calm. Too calm.
And the entire manor shuddered with the realization:
This was no longer the cripple Yun Che.
This was someone entirely different.
"You! Who in the world are you?!" Xiao Yulong shrieked.
His legs gave out, and he collapsed onto his backside, scrambling backward across the stage like a frightened animal. His trembling finger pointed at Yun Che, shaking so violently it looked ready to snap.
Yun Che tilted his head, unimpressed.
"More like 'the trash,' remember?" he replied, voice soaked in quiet scorn.
"Impudent!" Xiao Yunhai roared.
Shock paralyzed the Xiao Clan elders for only a heartbeat. Then panic took over. Led by Clan Master Xiao Yunhai himself, they surged forward in a wave of weapons and hostility. Their faces twisted with fear—fear that this unknown being might kill Yulong before their eyes.
Clad in their authority and arrogance, the elders encircled Yun Che's transformed figure in a tight ring. Weapons were drawn. Sharp points glinted inches from him. Xiao Yunhai stepped forward, voice trembling with rage and caution.
"We don't know who you are… but if you dare—"
"They always say that," Yun Che muttered, rubbing his forehead with mild irritation. He closed his eyes briefly, exhaling softly.
Then he opened them. "These guys, what a headache."
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"Bow down."
The world seemed to rupture.
A cataclysmic pressure—dense, crushing, suffocating—erupted from Yun Che's body and slammed into the Xiao Clan elders with the force of a falling mountain. The ground itself groaned beneath the impact. The air trembled.
The elders didn't just fall.
They were flattened.
Several were violently forced onto their knees. Others collapsed fully, their limbs splayed out as though pinned by invisible boulders. One elder gagged before vomiting blood, the pressure crushing his internal organs. Another clawed at the ground, trying to breathe, eyes bulging in terror.
They couldn't handle it. They couldn't endure it.
It wasn't profound strength. It wasn't cultivation pressure. It was something deeper.
Something terrifying.
It was reiatsu—the spiritual might of a Shinigami.
And to the Xiao Clan?
It was deadly.
In one instant, the hunters became prey. The oppressors became the oppressed.
And Yun Che…
Yun Che stood above them like a reaper descending upon mortals.
Chu Yueli arrived at the manor like a streak of moonlight cutting through the sky. The moment she sensed the deadly pressure erupting from within the Xia estate, worry pierced through her normally serene heart. She pushed her profound energy to its limit and rushed forward—only to be met with something she had never before encountered.
The instant she crossed into the pressure domain, her breath caught in her throat.
A crushing weight slammed down on her from every direction.
Her wings of profound energy collapsed.
Her body dropped from the air like a stone.
She hit the ground hard, her knees buckling as a wave of suffocation washed over her. Every breath felt like inhaling molten iron. Her limbs quivered. Her vision blurred. She tried—tried—to stand, but nausea surged violently through her chest and she fell to one knee, clutching at her robes.
Someone at her level—someone from the Sky Profound Realm—was being crushed to the ground like an insect.
It was absurd. It was impossible. It was horrifying.
"What… what kind of being have they provoked…?" she whispered, trembling.
Her gaze shifted wildly across the courtyard, panic sharp in her chest.
Qingyue… please don't be killed.
She could do nothing but pray for her disciple's safety.
And she wasn't the only one suffering.
The entire manor—every guest, every servant, every cultivator—felt the weight of Yun Che's reiatsu. It froze everyone between levels 1 and 70 in place. Muscles refused to obey. Knees buckled. Breathing became a luxury. People who moments ago mocked Yun Che now fell limp or threw themselves to the ground in frenzied kowtows.
"Forgive us!"
"We were wrong!"
"Spare us, senior!"
"I'm sorry—I'm sorry—I'm sorry!"
The arrogant collapsed into pools of vomit. The bold were silenced in terror. Not a single person dared even move a finger.
Xia Qingyue stood rigid in place, her breath caught in her chest. She had always been a genius, praised for her icy talent and profound strength. But before this being—
She was nothing.
A single thought from him could erase her life.
Yun Che controlled his reiatsu perfectly, condensing it into a crushing shell that enveloped the entire manor. If he allowed it to flare even a little higher, half the city would die instantly. And he knew someone powerful—Chu Yueli—was present, suppressed under that same pressure like a helpless mortal.
But he ignored her.
She was irrelevant to him right now.
He opened his eyes.
The temperature seemed to plummet. A wave of primal fear shot through every spine. Even those who couldn't see him felt the weight of his gaze—a reaper's gaze, cold and ancient and merciless.
They felt it.
As if staring at Death's face.
Yun Che remained perfectly still on the stage, his black robes and long raven hair drifting in the air. His presence alone sent shivers through the souls of everyone present.
So this is what mere reiatsu can do, he thought, mildly impressed. Even a Sky Profound Realm expert can't stand beneath it.
The System had warned him: anyone below Level 70 would be instantly suppressed.
He hadn't expected it to be this overwhelming.
"Shinigami Mode…" he murmured inwardly in Japanese, "…is quite overpowered."
A stray thought crossed his mind, calm and curious amid the chaos he caused.
I wonder what would happen once I fuse it with the Heretic God bloodline later…
The entire manor trembled around him.
And Yun Che—Yuuki—smiled.
Yun Che stood at the center of the manor like an emperor descending from the heavens. His shihakushou, the black robes of a Shinigami, flowed around him with a quiet, deadly grace. He hadn't even drawn Zangetsu—hadn't entered Shikai—and yet the world around him was already kneeling.
Those with weaker strength crumpled first, collapsing to the floor as if an invisible mountain had been dropped onto their backs. Even seasoned practitioners trembled, their limbs quivering under the weight of his reiatsu.
But Yun Che was precise.
He deliberately shielded certain people from his aura—children, mothers, his Little Aunt, Xia Hongyi, Xia Yuanba, and his grandfather Xiao Lie. They felt only a breeze.
But everyone else?
They suffered.
Even Xia Qingyue—whom he spared from the worst of it—felt a chilling pressure settle over her body. Not enough to harm her, but enough to make her understand, with brutal clarity, the difference between her cultivation and his existence. It was not something she could resist. It was not something she could comprehend.
Yun Che turned his gaze toward Xiao Yulong, black-and-white spiritual energy coiling lazily around him like ethereal smoke. His lips curved into a cruel smirk.
"How's that?" he asked, voice soft, mocking.
Xiao Yulong's soul nearly tore apart from terror. He tried to speak, but his throat was locked. He tried to run, but his legs refused to obey. He had no idea who—what—Yun Che truly was. He only knew he had provoked something far beyond his understanding.
This… this is a monster… I provoked a monster… No—worse… I provoked death itself…
"You said I could attack any way I liked, right?" Yun Che stepped forward, his tone almost playful.
Inside, Yulong screamed.
I'm going to die… I'm going to die… I don't want to die! Don't kill me!
Then, abruptly, Yun Che released the pressure on him.
Xiao Yulong gasped like a drowning man breaking the surface, staggering to his feet with trembling limbs. He gulped air in frantic breaths, his eyes wide and bloodshot.
Yun Che planted his long blade into the stage with a casual motion, the weapon sinking into solid wood as if it were soft clay. He leaned on the hilt, smiling.
"Come on then," he said lightly. "Show me your best. If you dare to run, I'll put the pressure back—and we'll start this all over again."
The implied threat struck harder than any blow. Yulong's skin paled to a sickly white. His eyes darted wildly, his body stiff with terror. He couldn't move. He couldn't act. He couldn't even breathe properly.
He was prey cornered by a predator.
Yun Che stepped forward slowly, each footfall echoing like a death knell. He stopped directly in front of Xiao Yulong and leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a near whisper.
"You tried to make me think I was trapped on this stage with you," he said.
Then his smile widened—cold, sharp, merciless.
"But you forgot one thing, mate."
His eyes darkened.
"You're trapped on this stage… with me."
The entire manor froze, breathless. The grim reaper had spoken.
Yun Che moved before anyone could even process the shift. His hand shot out, grabbing Xiao Yulong by the collar. Yulong's eyes bulged, his breath caught in his throat—he couldn't even scream before Yun Che's fist came crashing down.
The crack echoed across the manor like thunder.
Everyone froze.
The strike landed with bone-shattering force, Yulong's head snapping back, blood spraying in uneven arcs. The guests watched in stunned horror, their faces draining of color with every blow. Even those who wished for Yun Che's humiliation moments earlier now silently prayed they would never offend him in this lifetime.
Xiao Lingxi covered her mouth, tears forgotten, eyes wide in terror. She had known Little Che to be mischievous, childish, affectionate—but this? This was another side of him entirely. Violent. Overwhelming. Terrifying.
Xia Qingyue remained still beside the stage, but her heart trembled despite her icy discipline. This man—her new husband—was not only powerful far beyond her comprehension, but capable of violence she had never witnessed. Something about him felt ancient, dangerous, and utterly unrestrained.
Yun Che didn't care. He kept punching.
Each punch came with a line spoken calmly, coldly, as if reciting a list.
Punch. "That was for insulting me."
Punch. "That was for trying to flirt with my Little Aunt."
Punch. "That was for insulting my grandfather."
Punch. "That was for crashing my wedding… which, fine, I didn't mind."
Punch. "That was for challenging me. Also fine."
He paused—just briefly—his fist dripping crimson, his eyes narrowing.
Punch. "That was for killing me."
Yulong's consciousness flickered. He barely even understood the words, blood pouring down his swollen face.
Yun Che leaned in closer.
"And this one…"
Punch.
"…is for killing the real me."
Then came a rapid series of blows—merciless, bone-jarring strikes.
Punch. Punch. Punch.
"And those," Yun Che said, shaking out his knuckles, "were simply because I felt like it."
High above, Xiao Yunhai trembled in fury and helplessness. His son was being beaten into a pulp before his very eyes, yet he couldn't move under the crushing weight of Yun Che's reiatsu. His teeth gnashed together, his eyes bloodshot with rage—but he was powerless.
Yun Che lifted Yulong up by the collar again, his face inches from the broken, bloodied mess of the man who once strutted around the clan like a peacock.
"Now, now…" Yun Che murmured with a chilling calmness. "I'm not done with you yet."
The entire manor shivered.
"Now," Yun Che said, his grip still fisted in Xiao Yulong's collar, "who delivered the powder and poisoned me?"
Xiao Yulong gagged, his broken jaw unable to form coherent words. "Arrkkk…."
Yun Che's expression remained calm, almost bored. "I already know you delivered the powder. I just want to know who spiked my lunch."
Yulong could only twitch weakly, blood dripping from his lips.
So Yun Che turned his head slowly.
His gaze locked onto Xiao Yulong's accomplice— the man who had slipped Murdering Heart Powder into his meal.
Xiao Yang.
The moment their eyes met, Xiao Yang's soul nearly fled his body.
The instant Yun Che released the suppression on him, Xiao Yang didn't hesitate—he spun on his heels and sprinted toward the manor gate with all the strength desperation could muster.
He was supposed to be crippled in three years in the original timeline.But Yun Che wasn't planning to let him live that long.
"Why do they always run?" Yun Che sighed.
Raising his free hand, he uttered a command in a language utterly foreign to the world:
"Way of Binding #63—Locking Bondage Stripes."
Xia Qingyue's eyes widened behind her veil as a golden light erupted from Yun Che's palm. A glowing strap of spiritual energy shot across the courtyard with blinding speed, spiraling through the air like a divine serpent before striking Xiao Yang square in the back.
Golden bindings wrapped around him in an instant.
Xiao Yang screamed as he crashed face-first into the manor's red carpet, bound hand and foot as though divine chains had imprisoned him.
Gasps filled the air.
"Wh-what technique is that?!"
"That wasn't profound energy!"
"He bound him with light…!"
Even Chu Yueli, still kneeling outside the epicenter of the reiatsu domain on the roof, stared in disbelief. Such a binding technique… this world had nothing like it.
With a lazy flick of his wrist, Yun Che pulled Xiao Yang across the ground. The man skidded helplessly, dragged like a caught animal until he slammed onto the stage—right in front of the crushed form of his grandfather.
Xiao Bo.
One of the Xiao Clan's Second Elders.
A practitioner at the Eighth Level of the Spirit Profound Realm.
And a man who despised Yun Che's existence.
He had wanted to ruin Yun Che's marriage. He had wanted to force Xiao Lingxi into Xiao Kuangyun's hands in the future. He intended to destroy Yun Che's family.
Now?
He lay pinned under Yun Che's reiatsu, helpless and trembling.
And Yun Che stood above him—Zangetsu on his back, shinigami robes flowing, reiatsu coiling like a serpent of death.
The silent message was clear.
Yun Che strolled toward Xiao Yang with a casualness that chilled the entire courtyard. With one hand, he reached into his inventory and pulled out a familiar bowl—the very lunch that had been spiked with Murdering Heart Powder.
Xiao Yang's eyes went impossibly wide, veins bulging with panic. Bound by golden Kido straps, he couldn't twitch a finger.
"Now," Yun Che said pleasantly, crouching beside him, "I really don't tolerate people who don't finish their food."
In one swift motion, he grabbed Xiao Yang's jaw, forcing his mouth open.
"Here comes the airplane," he cooed mockingly. "Choo choo."
He waved the poisoned spoon in Xiao Yang's face like feeding a child—
—then shoved the entire mouthful down his throat.
Xiao Yang gagged violently, trying desperately to spit it back up, but Yun Che clamped a hand over his mouth, fingers digging into his cheeks.
"Swallow," Yun Che whispered.
Xiao Yang's body convulsed as the poison ignited inside him. A scream tore from his throat, raw and agonized.
"ARGGHHHHHH!"
Everyone flinched.
The pain ripped through Xiao Yang's dantian. His profound veins began to rupture under the force of the tempered poison. In mere moments, his muscles seized, eyes rolled back—
—and then he went still.
Not dead. That would have been mercy.
The poison was indeed like the database described.
It destroyed everything that made Xiao Yang a cultivator.
Every vein.
Every channel.
Every scrap of talent.
A fate worse than death had been delivered.
"You… you dare poison my grandson in front of me?!" Xiao Bo roared. Even crushed under Yun Che's reiatsu, he tried to lunge—only to collapse again.
Yun Che glanced at him with a flat expression.
"Then join him."
Before anyone could process the words, Yun Che was already in front of the elder. He drew his fist back and slammed it into Xiao Bo's dantian with monstrous force.
A sickening crack rang out.
"My cultivation—no! NOOO!!" Xiao Bo screamed, horror twisting his face as years, decades of power shattered in an instant.
His cry was cut short by another punch—one straight to the jaw that sent him collapsing backward, unconscious.
The surrounding elders recoiled as though they'd watched a demon devour one of their own.
The cripple—the trash—the boy they believed beneath their notice— had just crippled two cultivators without hesitation.
Yun Che turned toward Xiao Yulong, and the terrified young master froze the moment their eyes met. Panic twisted his features, and he spun to run—but a golden Kido strap snaked across the courtyard and bound him mid-stride, slamming him to the ground. The crowd watched in horrified silence as Yun Che approached, clearly preparing to cripple his profound veins the same way he had Xiao Yang's.
But then— Hoyuu's voice cut sharply into his mind.
"Yo, King, got some bad news."
Yun Che stiffened. Not now…
Ossan's voice followed, heavy and grave. "Your Zanpakutō has been storing power inside that Asauchi. Too much. If you don't release it—soon—this city will be erased."
"…What?" Yun Che whispered.
"You trained for nearly a year, boy," the old man explained. "In a void with no outlet. That sword has been swallowing every drop of your power, your reiatsu, your growth. At reincarnation, the containment cracked. It wants to be released."
Yun Che's gaze snapped to the massive sword he had stabbed into the stage earlier.Blue light now swirled violently around it—unstable, crackling like a storm hunting for a target.
Xia Qingyue, closest to the blade, sensed the disturbance and instinctively stepped back. The air around the sword shimmered with raw, compressed destruction. She didn't know what it was—but she understood catastrophe when she felt it.
"Then what the hell do I do?" Yun Che demanded mentally.
Hoyuu snorted. "You release it."
"How?"
"Use. The. Release. Phrase. You idiot."
Ossan's tone grew sharper. "Pick a direction. That mountain over there. Fire it away from the city. Unless…"
Hoyuu chuckled darkly. "…you don't mind turning this entire place into dust."
Yun Che clicked his tongue. As tempting as it was—he could not.
Not with Xiao Lie.
Not with Lingxi.
Not with the few good souls who actually loved the real Yun Che.
He raced toward the sword.
Xiao Lie, Xia Lingxi, Xia Hongyi, Xia Yuanba—and Xia Qingyue—watched him, all stunned, all trapped under the remnants of his reiatsu. None of them could stop him, question him, or even breathe properly.
Yun Che gripped the massive Asauchi with both hands and ripped it free from the ground.
At that exact moment, Xiao Yunhai—bloody, trembling, fueled by rage and terror—forced his suppressed body to move. He staggered to his feet and lunged toward Yun Che with his blade raised.
"XIAO CHE!!!" he roared.
"Little Che!" Lingxi's voice cracked in panic.
But Yun Che did not spare either of them a glance.
He lowered his stance.
His eyes narrowed into a razor's edge. He spoke the release phrase.
"Cast off your fears… and pierce the heavens."
Energy exploded across the courtyard. Lightning danced across the blade. The entire manor trembled.
Yun Che drew in a single fluid motion.
"ZANGETSU!!!!!!"
The world turned white.
A colossal crescent of black-and-white energy erupted forward, devouring sound, tearing the air apart as it shot across the wedding grounds. Xiao Yunhai was directly in its path. He didn't even have time to scream.
He was vaporized—body, soul, blade—reduced to dust in less than a heartbeat.
The slash continued, ripping through the manor gate as if slicing paper, and soared toward the distant mountain. The impact shook the heavens. A thunderous shockwave roared across the land as the top of the mountain detonated, blown apart in a shower of stone and light. When the smoke cleared—
The entire peak was gone.
Perfectly severed.
Silence crushed the manor.
Hundreds stared at the distant mountain, their minds barely able to comprehend what they were seeing. Even Xia Qingyue—ice-hearted, disciplined, unshakable—felt her knees weaken. On top of the manor, Chu Yueli stood petrified, trembling as the aftershock of Yun Che's attack echoed through her profound veins.
Neither master nor disciple could speak.
They could only stare at the empty sky where a mountain peak had once existed.
And at the man who had created that impossibility with a single swing.
"Hooo… that was close."
The smoke finally thinned, revealing Yun Che standing tall at the center of the shattered stage. The massive blade resting across the back of his head was no longer the rough Asauchi—it had transformed. The Shikai form of Zangetsu manifested as an enormous khyber-shaped knife, the upper half matte black and the lower half bone-white. The weapon lacked a guard entirely, wrapped instead in long, white cloth strips that trailed almost to the ground like a ghostly tail.
The sight alone was enough to silence the manor.
But the mountain…
That was something else entirely.
The shockwave from the slash had reached every corner of Floating Cloud City and even touched the borders of the nearby towns. Alarmed by the sudden blast of spirit-force, several powers dispatched their elders and experts to investigate. When they arrived at the mountain and saw its peak missing—cleanly sliced off as though with a divine blade—they froze. The land bore the scar of something unimaginable.
They searched desperately for the "senior" capable of such devastation, every sect head hungry to curry favor with a being of that power.
Back at the manor, no one dared to speak.
Xia Qingyue could only stare wordlessly. The world's number-one beauty looked as if the ground had disappeared beneath her feet. Her veil fluttered in the lingering pressure as she tried—and failed—to reconcile what she thought Yun Che was with what she had just witnessed.
Little Aunt covered her mouth, wide-eyed, trembling between fear and awe.This… this was her Little Che?
He turned casually toward the distant, dismembered mountain and let out a low whistle.
"Remind me again if we're ever going there." His gaze flicked to the still-kneeling elders. "Looks like the maps need to be redrawn."
Several elders nearly coughed up blood on the spot.
===============
[Ding…Congratulations on killing a Spirit Profound Realm master.]
Experience gained: 35,000 XP
[Achievement unlocked : First Blood — Kill your first cultivator.]
Reward: 5,000 XP, 1,000 SP
A small chibi window popped up, showing a tiny, adorable version of himself stepping triumphantly on a defeated cultivator with X's for eyes while holding Shikai Zangetsu aloft.
==============
Yun Che blinked.
"…Achievements? Seriously?"
He couldn't help it. The corner of his mouth curled upward.
Of all the things he expected from the System, cute chibi art was not one of them.
"Did I just kill someone… accidentally?"
The realization hit Yun Che a beat late—like a delayed echo. He replayed the moment in his head: the instant before the slash, an older man had leapt into the trajectory of the blade. Yun Che hadn't even seen him. One blink, and the man had been vaporized along with the gate.
Ossan's voice emerged calmly in his mind, grounding him. "Boy, your Shikai is permanent now. The accumulated power inside the Asauchi forced the release. Sealing it again will only risk an explosion."
Yun Che sighed inwardly. "Permanent Zangetsu Shikai mode? Honestly… I'm fine with that."
He felt Ossan nod with approval.
Around him, despair rolled through the manor like a suffocating fog. The Xiao Clan had just lost their clan master—instantly, effortlessly, without so much as a scream. The onlookers understood one thing clearly:
If Yun Che wanted to, he could erase the entire city just as easily.
The sword wave had been controlled—controlled—and yet it had traveled through Xiao Yunhai's body, split the manor gate in half, and carved the mountaintop off kilometers away.
Every cultivator present swallowed hard, throats bobbing like they were choking on gravel. Several Xiao Clan elders dropped to their knees and prostrated themselves, trembling violently. They weren't begging for mercy.
They were begging to be allowed to live.
Yun Che ignored them. He turned toward Xiao Yulong with a flat, almost bored expression.
"Hey, Yulong. Shall we—"
He stopped abruptly.
A bitter, pungent stench seeped into his heightened senses, stabbing his nose like a physical assault. Yun Che grimaced and leaned away. Xiao Yulong, standing rigidly in place, was soaked from the waist down. His legs trembled violently. His expression was frozen in pure, mind-breaking terror, mouth open but incapable of producing a scream.
He had pissed himself.
And judging by the strength of the smell, he hadn't held back.
"…Forget it," Yun Che muttered with a disgusted look.
Killing him now felt like slaughtering livestock.
Even Hoyuu gagged mentally: "King… please step back. I can smell that from your soul."
Xiao Yulong swayed on his feet, tears spilling freely as humiliation and fear crushed him. His entire world had collapsed in the span of seconds, and the "cripple" he mocked had become something closer to a demon.
Yun Che lifted Zangetsu onto his shoulder, gaze cold and utterly unimpressed.
This was no longer a duel. It wasn't even punishment.
Xiao Yulong had already destroyed himself.
But mission or not, Yun Che wasn't done.
He still had to finish the job.
He planted Zangetsu's Shikai blade into the ground with a heavy thud. The white wrappings fluttered, crackling faintly with leftover power. Then he raised his hand and pointed a single finger at the bound Xiao Yulong.
The manor held its breath.
Yun Che spoke clearly, calmly, in a foreign tongue none of them recognized:
"Way of Destruction #4 — Pale Lightning."
A thin bolt of lightning snapped from his fingertip—blinding, swift, merciless. The flash struck Xiao Yulong's forehead before the terrified young master even understood what was happening.
A crack. A muffled gasp. A smoking hole.
And Xiao Yulong—the supposed genius of the Xiao Clan—collapsed lifelessly on the red wedding carpet.
Gasps, shrieks, choking sounds rippled across the manor. Even the elders who once berated Yun Che were too stunned to make a sound.
And then, moments later—
Xiao Yang twitched once… twice… and then went still as the Murdering Heart Powder finally finished its work.
Just like that, the murderers of Yun Che were gone.
One slain by lightning. One dissolved from within. A clean, brutal execution.
=============
[Ding… Main Mission – Killing the Murderers Completed.]
XP: 10000
SP: 5000
[Host has unlocked Hado #90 Kurohitsugi.]
==============
Yun Che pulled Zangetsu free from the ground and rested the massive blade against his shoulder. He glanced up toward the sky with an expression that was surprisingly soft, even nostalgic.
"Even though you're dead, Yun Che," he murmured, "at least I took revenge for you. This one's for you, old host."
He lifted two fingers in a salute—simple, respectful, final.
While Yun Che reviewed the notifications, Xia Qingyue stood frozen where she was. Her mind was tangled with confusion, disbelief, and an emotion she rarely felt—intrigue.
This man—this "waste," this cripple she reluctantly married— had just annihilated everything in his path without hesitation.
How had he hidden all this? How had he suppressed his aura so perfectly that even her master never sensed it?
Who—no, what—did she marry?
Before she could think further, Yun Che moved. With practiced ease, he wrapped the massive Shikai blade in white cloth straps and slung it across his back. A simple gesture, yet strikingly elegant.
Then, with a single breath, he released the suppression blanketing the entire manor.
Dozens collapsed to their knees at once.
Some vomited. Some cried. Some simply lay trembling on the floor, unable to process what they had witnessed.
Not a single person dared to flee.
The elders kowtowed deeply, foreheads thudding against the tiles. The younger generation, who moments ago had insulted him, now stared at him as if he were a divine reaper who had descended to judge them.
Yun Che stood alone at the center—tall, composed, blade on his back, black robes swaying in the breeze.
A Shinigami in a mortal world. And now, everyone finally understood:
The cripple they mocked was gone.
This was a new Yun Che.
One they should never have provoked.
Chu Yueli finally regained consciousness, but her limbs remained heavy and unresponsive. The crushing pressure Yun Che released earlier still lingered in her meridians, locking her body in place. She could only grit her teeth and pray that her disciple was unharmed. Never in her life had she encountered a pressure so suffocating, so absolute, that even a Sky Profound Realm expert like her was reduced to kneeling helplessly. Whoever—or whatever—Xiao Qingyue had married, he was a calamity wearing human skin.
Behind Yun Che, two voices trembled in unison.
"Little Che…"
"Che'er?"
Xiao Lie and Xiao Lingxi stared at him with pale faces. They searched his figure for a trace—any trace—of the gentle, sweet, endlessly teasing boy they had raised and loved. But the person standing before them now was someone else entirely. Calm, composed, almost relaxed… yet capable of violence swift enough to obliterate a mountain.
They didn't dare step any closer. They didn't even dare breathe too loudly.
Only one person did.
"Brother-in-law!! That was SO AWESOME!"
Xia Yuanba barreled toward him like an overeager puppy, eyes sparkling with pure hero worship. "You could cultivate this whole time? Why didn't you tell me?! And that giant sword—how? And you shot lightning! Can you teach me?!"
Yun Che chuckled and caught the huge boy in a playful headlock, mussing his hair. "I am pretty awesome, right?"
The crowd could only gape. That man—who erased people with light and sundered mountains—was casually ruffling Xia Yuanba's head like an older brother.
"Xiao Che…"
Yun Che looked up and met the gaze of Xia Hongyi—gentle, kind, and still visibly shaken. The man had always treated him as a son, even when the world mocked him. For a brief moment, Yun Che's gaze softened.
"Uncle Xia," he said simply.
He passed him and came to a stop before Xia Qingyue.
She stiffened.
Up close, she felt as though she were standing before a sovereign who could destroy the world if he so wished. Even with her veil lifted, even with her icy composure… she felt unbearably small. Her eyes—normally cold, calm, unreadable—trembled ever so slightly as they met his.
Yun Che tilted his head, studying her. Then he spoke with a tone that was almost indifferent.
"I guess this marriage was only a promise to you. A minor inconvenience. Terribly sorry for the trouble."
Her breath caught.
He continued, voice flat and edged with irony. "Well, the promise is fulfilled. You don't have to protect me or my reputation anymore. After today, it's already in shambles. A fulfilled but pointless marriage between us."
He dusted his hands lightly as if brushing off the matter itself.
"So go cultivate. Do whatever you want. You staying here would cause me more trouble anyway. Consider us even."
Xia Qingyue lowered her head. For the first time in her life, emotion—one she couldn't identify—stirred faintly in her chest.
Yun Che turned away and approached the edge of the ruined stage. He inhaled deeply, projected his voice, and faced the stunned crowd.
"Thank you for coming to my so-called wedding." His tone was dripping with mock politeness. "I hope you enjoyed the live show. Drinks and food are still on the side—help yourselves. The QR code for reviews is on the front door… but since the gate's gone, who cares? Leave your comments if you want. I'll pretend to care."
Nervous laughter rippled through the guests—cut off instantly when Yun Che's eyes slid toward the members of the Xiao Clan.
He rubbed the back of his head with a sigh.
"I do have two wishes, though."
Everyone tensed.
"I want my aunt and grandfather to be treated well in the clan. If either of them is mistreated… don't blame me for doing this again." He pointed casually at the shattered courtyard and the distant, decapitated mountain.
Multiple Xiao elders swallowed hard.
"Since my grandfather was the strongest among you, the clan head position should fall to him. Don't you all agree?"
Every Xiao Clan member flinched in perfect unison.
No one dared object.
"Hm. And Xiao Clan…" His voice dropped—soft, cold, dangerous. "The torment you put me through? I'd love to return it two or threefold right here and now."
Several Xiao elders nearly fainted.
"But I'll let it slide—for today. I'll come back when my body is restored. If profound strength is your pride, then I'll repay you in kind."
Absolute terror swept through the clan. They could already imagine the future—one where the man who wielded that impossible blade returned to collect his debts. Some wanted to kneel. Others wanted to hide under tables. None dared look him in the eye.
Yun Che finally withdrew the last traces of suppression. The moment he did, the entire manor collapsed into coughing, wheezing chaos as people gasped for air, some sobbing outright.
He looked at the crowd. He looked at his wife. He looked at the clan that had tormented him.
Then he hopped off the stage and headed straight for the banquet table.
Without ceremony, he picked up a plate and grabbed several fruits, munching as he walked.
"Didn't get to eat," he muttered. "Last meal killed me. Not risking that again."
And with that— Shinigami robe fluttering behind him, Zangetsu strapped to his back.
"Some wedding this turned out to be."
Yun Che sat casually on the ruined stage stairs, munching on a handful of unfamiliar-looking fruits. They weren't anything like the fruits he knew back home—odd shapes, strange colors—but they were edible, and that was good enough. Silence hung over the manor as people continued to watch him in terrified awe, too scared to even whisper.
He tilted his head back, eyes drifting up to the sky.
"Not bad for the first day here," he muttered around a bite.
Footsteps approached—light, careful, hesitant. Only one person in the entire manor had the courage to walk up to him now.
"Little Che…" Xiao Lingxi's voice trembled softly. "W-wait… where are you going?"
Yun Che didn't turn around.
"A walk," he answered simply.
"But… your wedding," she whispered.
He finally looked at her, then at the hall behind them—the wreckage, the destroyed gate, the unconscious guests, the terrified elders, and the mountain missing its peak in the distance.
He exhaled slowly.
"Some wedding, Little Aunt." His tone softened, unusually gentle. "I need to reorganize my thoughts. I'll see you later."
He stood and walked toward the exit—and the sea of guests parted instantly, parting like frightened waves before a sovereign. Not a single person dared breathe in his direction.
But before he fully stepped out, Yun Che turned slightly and pointed at a cluster of young men in the crowd—those who had made foolish "bets" earlier.
"Aren't you supposed to be running naked?" he said flatly.
One of them flinched, face burning with humiliation.
Yun Che pointed at another. "And weren't you going to eat shit?"
The man nearly collapsed.
Then he pointed at a third. "And you. I hope you're enjoying married life with that donkey of yours. She's quite a beauty."
The entire courtyard fell silent except for the faint whimpering of the humiliated youths. Before anyone could respond, Yun Che vanished—his body blurring into a streak of shadow—
Flash Step.
In the blink of an eye, he was gone.