Li Mo lay in the dirt, choking on blood. His chest burned with pain from a single flick of Wu Tangge's finger.
His disciples rushed to his side—but they never reached him.
Wu Tangge raised one hand lazily.
Space folded.
The air froze. Time seemed to halt. The disciples became statues—trembling, locked in place, mouths agape in horror.
"Did I say you could move?" Wu Tangge asked, voice calm but dreadful. The world itself seemed to shudder.
Li Mo's face drained of color. "Who… who are you?"
Wu Tangge crouched beside him. His voice was soft, smooth—venom wrapped in silk.
"I told you already. I am Wu Tangge. From the Upper World. I don't need armies. I don't need negotiations. I am power."
He stood slowly, letting the words hang in the suffocating air.
Turning to the Thunder Sect, he said with cold amusement,
"See? These 'enemies' of yours are insects. But I don't do charity."
Sect Leader Hua Lin fell to his knees. "Senior Wu Tangge, name your price."
Wu Tangge's smile turned razor-sharp. "Obedience. Complete and permanent. Your sect, your disciples, your daughter—your legacy—now belong to me."
Second Elder trembled. "Senior… our sect has existed for five thousand years, we cannot—"
The atmosphere warped.
A terrifying pressure crushed the room like a divine mountain.
Second Elder collapsed, blood spilling from his nose and ears.
Wu Tangge didn't even look at him.
"Question me again, and your legacy ends tonight."
Silence.
Then—reluctant but resolute—Hua Lin bowed his head to the floor.
"The Thunder Sect... submits."
---
Slaughter in the Shadows
Without a word, Wu Tangge raised his palm and summoned a shadow.
From the darkness behind him, a figure emerged—silent, faceless, and deadly.
Lucid.
"Kill them all," Wu Tangge ordered.
Lucid vanished instantly.
Screams echoed across the horizon as the Heaven Thrilling Sect met its end.
Not one was spared.
Not even the infants in their cradles.
---
Thunder Sect – Inner Courtyard
That night, the once-proud Thunder Sect had become a vassal state under one man's will.
Wu Tangge sat in the leader's chair—now rightfully his. Spirit wine in hand, legs crossed, his gaze swept over the room like a serpent watching prey.
Then she was brought in.
Hua Yueru.
Moonlight-blue robes, long raven hair, and defiant eyes that refused to bow.
"My daughter," Hua Lin said. "She is young, and her pride is—"
"Silence," Wu Tangge snapped, rising.
He stepped toward her, eyes narrowing. His gaze pierced through her like a blade.
"[System: Target possesses the Celestial Supreme Body. Awakening potential 73%. Further cultivation increase expected if bond is established.]"
A slow, wicked smile curved Wu Tangge's lips.
"So… that's why your cultivation rises so quickly."
Hua Lin gasped. "Y-you know?"
"Not only do I know," Wu Tangge said, circling her like a predator, "her body is only partially awakened."
Hua Yueru's eyes flickered. "Do you know how to awaken it… Senior?"
Wu Tangge leaned closer to her ear, his breath warm and dangerous.
"Yes," he whispered. "But it must be done... in private. Come to my room."
She blushed. The elders exchanged knowing glances. None dared speak.
But then—
"What did you say?!"
A shout cut through the silence.
A figure stepped from the shadows of the hall gate. Eyes burning with rage.
Xiao Yan.
His fists clenched. His aura surged.
"You think you can fool our princess that easily?!"
Wu Tangge didn't even turn around.
Ding!
[System Alert!]
Warning, Host! A powerful Fated Son has been chosen in this realm.
Name: Xiao Yan
Fated Value: 97%
Title: Heaven's Chosen
Origin: Mortal Realm, Flame Origin Continent
Potential Outcome: Ruler of this Realm
Current Status: Untouchable. Cannot be killed unless Fated Value is reduced below 20%.
Ding!
[Mission Alert]
Reduce Xiao Yan Fated Value to 20 or lower and 'Kill' him.
Reward: Evil Slave Mark
Wu Tangge smiled.
"Ah. So the rat leaves his hole. I was wondering when you'd grow a spine."
Hua Lin paled. "Xiao Yan! Who allowed you in here?!"
But Xiao Yan didn't back down.
Inside his ring, an ancient voice growled in his mind:
"You fool! He's not someone you can fight!"
Xiao Yan responded through divine sense,
"He wants to take the woman I love!"
"Then die with her!" his master hissed.
Only Wu Tangge noticed the hidden conversation.
He smiled cruelly.
He wrapped an arm around Hua Yueru's waist.
She gasped, frozen. The elders said nothing.
Xiao Yan saw red.
"Let her go!" he roared and launched forward, sword unsheathed, spiritual fire blazing.
Wu Tangge didn't even raise a hand.
He simply released his pressure.
BOOM.
Xiao Yan crashed into the ground mid-air, face-first, coughing blood. He couldn't move. The floor beneath him cracked.
"You attacked first," Wu Tangge said coldly.
"So now… you must die."
He raised his palm.
Heavenly Palm.
The air turned black. The hall trembled. Cracks spread through stone and sky alike.
"Senior Wu Tangge! Please—!" Hua Lin cried funny.
BOOM.
The palm struck the ground. A massive handprint carved itself into the stone. Dust filled the air. The walls trembled.
Hua Yueru clutched her chest. "I-is he dead…?"
Wu Tangge smiled, stepping into the dust.
"No," he said, licking blood from his knuckles. "He escaped… but barely. A rat scurrying for another day."
Ding!
Xiao Yan Fated Value Dropped (49%)
He turned back to Hua Yueru and raised her chin with one finger.
"But next time… I won't miss."