Fang Li stood amidst the rubble of the cellar, the air around him trembling under the unstable energy of the Dragon Heart. His recently regained senses surged—he could hear the farmers' screams, smell the burning smoke, and feel the texture of the ash on his skin. Everything was a feast for his hungry senses.
"You… are not human," muttered the lone surviving cultivator, sliding backward, his eyes filled with existential terror.
Fang Li looked at his hand. Gray flames danced between his fingers like a living entity.
"Humans created this monstrosity, my friend. I am merely the final outcome of your greed."
With a swift motion, he unleashed a wave of Merged Dragon Breath, reducing the cultivator to dust before he could cry out.
[System Alert: Massive target approaching.]
[Rank: 'Ash Builder' – Level 3.]
[Identity: 'Sheikh Mo' of the Heavenly Sword Sect. Extremely furious over his lost hand… and demanding your head as compensation.]
"Ash Builder?" Fang Li's lips curled into a glacial smile.
"System, can I 'merge' the energy of the entire city? The matrix protecting the walls… can I invert its polarity?"
[A dangerously insane question. The matrix is enormous and requires an anchor point.]
[If you merge the 'Crushed Star Arm' with the matrix core at the city center, you can turn the entire city into an 'Ash Bomb'.]
[Cost: Enter a week-long 'Soul Bleed' state, and lose your hearing temporarily again. Is Ash City worth the price?]
"This city is just a nest of vipers," Fang Li said, launching toward the city center at a speed leaving only golden afterimages. "Let's see if Sheikh Mo can withstand the detonation of an entire city."
In the central plaza, Sheikh Mo appeared, surrounded by a terrifying aura of spirit swords. His bandaged, severed hand pulsated with energy.
"Fang Li! Show yourself, rat! I will tear your limbs slowly until you beg for death!"
Suddenly, Fang Li descended from the sky like a black comet, crashing onto the plaza's center where the Grand Matrix Crystal stood.
"Have you come to die?" sneered Sheikh Mo, directing thousands of swords at Fang Li.
"No," Fang Li said, plunging his metallic arm deep into the matrix crystal. "I came to rebuild this world… and the beginning will be tearing down this nest."
[Protocol Initiated: 'Civilization Dismantling'.]
[Merging Dragon Energy + Star Energy + City Matrix…]
Black threads erupted from Fang Li's hand, burrowing into the earth and climbing the walls and ramparts. In seconds, the magical inscriptions on the city walls shifted from blue to crimson, then to jet black.
"What are you doing?!" Sheikh Mo shouted in disbelief, watching his spirit swords vanish upon touching the black aura surrounding Fang Li.
"I am liberating you from your greed, Sheikh Mo," Fang Li whispered. "System… detonate it."
Booooooom!
An initial silent explosion quickly escalated into a tremor shaking the entire Ash Domain. The city walls collapsed inward, and gray flames engulfed palaces, houses, and cultivators alike. Ash City—the largest trade hub in the region—was reduced to a massive cloud of dust in moments.
Amid the destruction, Fang Li flew through the air, protected by a bubble of dragon energy. He looked down to see Sheikh Mo fading in the blast, his eyes filled with disbelief.
[Destroyed: Ash City.]
[Casualties: 50,000 cultivators and mortals.]
[Absorbed Essence: Enormous!]
[Warning: You are now the #1 target on the continent. The 'Shadow Guild' and the 'Heavenly Sword Sect' will hunt you with their full power.]
Fang Li landed on a distant hill, staring at the gigantic crater that had once been a city. His hearing had vanished completely, just as the system had promised. Silence reigned.
He felt nothing for the casualties. To him, they were mere numbers in the equation of his power. Wiping the blood from his face, he gazed toward the distant horizon where the Eternal Mountains and the headquarters of the major sects lay.
"The first volume truly begins now," Fang Li whispered to himself, though he could not hear his own voice. "I have devoured the small fry… now it's time to feast on the giants."
With that, Fang Li walked away from the ruins, taking the first steps toward Chapter Eleven, where a wider world, stronger enemies, and a system demanding even greater sacrifices awaited.