In Dragon Cloud City, everything had fallen into chaos.
The demonic cave, sealed for countless years, had erupted. From its depths surged an endless tide of black demonic poison, thick and suffocating, carrying with it the stench of death.
Many cultivators had stepped forward, eager to prove themselves. They tried to seal the escaping poison with arrays and techniques. Yet before their seals could even form, a terrifying suction force pulled them directly into the mouth of the cave.
Screams echoed for only a heartbeat before being drowned in blood.
From within, massive black demons revealed themselves—grotesque beasts with twisted bodies, larger than houses, eyes glowing like abyssal lanterns. Their fangs tore through flesh as easily as silk.
Crunch… snap… roar…
The sound of cultivators being devoured was unbearable.
Fortunately, an ancient barrier formation still covered the mouth of the demonic cave. Otherwise, those demons would have already surged out, spreading death throughout the city.
Even so, fear spread like wildfire.
Civilians ran through the streets, clutching children, carrying belongings, or abandoning everything in sheer panic.
"The seal is broken! Run! We'll all die!"
"The demonic poison will spread through the entire city—"
Yet not all voices carried fear. Among the people, whispers and arguments spread.
"Hmph, nonsense! So what if the cave is unsealed? It is just poison. Once the sects arrive, they will suppress it easily."
"That's right. What's the point of being afraid? Xu Chen claimed it was dangerous, but wasn't he always exaggerating? He just wanted recognition."
"What a joke! A mere demonic cave, how could it possibly threaten us? We still live under the protection of great sects."
Laughter and arrogance echoed amid the fear, though their voices wavered faintly. Confidence was easier to hold than facing the truth.
But soon, the matter spread far beyond the city. The news of the broken seal reached the ears of the powerful sects.
Celestial Flame Sect
Within the towering Celestial Flame Sect, the atmosphere was calm—until a young disciple burst into the grand hall, stumbling forward with panic.
He fell to his knees, his forehead striking the cold floor tiles.
"Sect Leader! Urgent news! The demonic cave in Dragon Cloud City has broken!"
The words fell like a bolt of thunder. Elders and disciples froze, exchanging startled glances.
But only for a moment.
"So what if it has broken?" an elder scoffed. "If Xu Chen could suppress it, why can't others? He made it sound like some apocalyptic threat, but clearly, he exaggerated."
"That's right! Xu Chen was always stirring trouble, trying to elevate his own reputation. Hmph, disgraceful."
High above, Shao Xiu, seated upon the sect leader's throne, regarded the hall with cold, sharp eyes. She lifted a hand lazily, her voice calm and arrogant.
"Send some disciples. They will handle it easily. There is no need to overthink."
From the ranks below, a young man stepped forward. His robe was neat, his chin held high.
"Disciple Zhao Tianren greets Sect Leader. Please rest assured, this task is trivial. Xu Chen made a fuss over nothing. I will seal the cave without difficulty."
He bowed deeply before leaving, his back straight, his confidence unshaken.
Elder Wu Jian nodded in satisfaction, his voice filled with praise.
"This disciple is courageous. If he completes this mission, he should be promoted to the inner sect. Unlike Xu Chen, who deceived others with his false words, Zhao Tianren shows true bravery. Our sect needs people like him."
Around the hall, heads nodded in agreement. No one questioned the arrogance.
Mystic Cloud Sect
Far away, in the Mystic Cloud Sect's main hall, laughter resounded.
"Hahaha! Are you certain this news is correct?"
The sect leader sat on a high throne, his aura oppressive, eyes gleaming with cold malice.
A kneeling disciple lowered his head, voice respectful. "Reporting to Sect Leader, the news is accurate. Xu Chen has been expelled from the Celestial Flame Sect. His dantian was destroyed, and he was cast out by his master."
"Good! Very good!"
The sect leader slapped the armrest, his laughter thunderous.
"That arrogant brat, in the past, he dared to treat me like an ant, as if I were beneath him. He even dared to stand against me! But now? Now he is nothing but a cripple! His cultivation destroyed, abandoned by his own sect. Hahaha!"
His laughter grew darker, twisted with cruelty.
"Kill him? No. That would be too easy. I want him alive. I will break his pride. I will chain him like a dog, make him kneel before me, a slave for life!"
The elders erupted into laughter, their voices echoing across the grand hall.
"Sect Leader is wise! To break his spirit is far more satisfying than ending his life."
The sect leader sneered. "Send disciples. Search every forest, every city around the Celestial Flame Sect. If he has fallen to mortality, then he cannot have gone far. Find him. I want his exact location!"
"Yes, Sect Leader!"
The order spread swiftly.
Shadowpine Forest
Deep within the Shadowpine Forest, Xu Chen stood over the bloodied corpses of Celestial Flame Sect disciples. His eyes were calm but heavy.
"If their deaths are discovered, I will be hunted again. I must leave. Staying here is dangerous."
His stomach growled softly. He frowned.
"… I have not eaten for days."
After searching the forest, he found a wild apple tree. He plucked the fruit and ate, regaining some strength.
"I am only ten kilometers away from the sect. I must keep running, keep cultivating. If I stop, beasts or cultivators will find me. If I stop, Lu Yan will find me. I cannot stop."
He sprinted deeper into the forest, branches whipping past him.
Hours passed. His body was soaked in sweat, his muscles burning. At last, after four hours, he collapsed onto a rock, gasping for breath.
"Even with body cultivation, I need rest."
Just then, a crisp sound rang in his mind.
[Ding! Host is 50 km away from the Son of Destiny. Cultivation speed increased: 500x.]
Xu Chen froze. His eyes widened as he summoned the system panel.
"... 500 times?!"
His body trembled. Goosebumps spread across his skin. His throat went dry as he whispered to himself.
"Even if someone possessed an immortal body, they could never cultivate this fast. This… this is unimaginable."
His eyes burned with determination.
"I must go deeper. For now, I am safe. Lu Yan will assume I fled toward Dragon Cloud City or the caves nearby. But I have gone in the opposite direction. They think I am mortal and cannot travel far… but I have already gone fifty kilometers."
He found a secluded cave with a pond beside it. Sitting cross-legged inside, he closed his eyes.
Boom!
Spiritual energy poured into his body like a raging river, flooding his dantian with terrifying speed. His skin glowed faintly, divine light radiating from his form.
If anyone had seen him, they would have knelt instinctively. Xu Chen looked not like a man, but a god in meditation.
One Day Later
The cave trembled violently, stones falling as Xu Chen's aura surged outward.
His eyes opened, sharp and blazing.
"Body Tempering… from mid… to late… to peak!"
In just one day, he had reached the Peak of the Body Tempering Realm.
A normal cultivator would need at least two hundred days. Xu Chen had needed only three.
He clenched his fists, feeling the terrifying power coursing through his body. A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"I wonder how Dragon Cloud City fares. The demon cave seal has broken. That alone is enough for my revenge."
Memories flashed—blood, poison, betrayal.
"When I suppressed the demonic poison, my cultivation fell from Golden Core Peak to Early Stage. If not for that drop, who could have stopped me? Yet instead of gratitude, I was framed again and again."
His fists tightened until veins bulged.
"But this time… this time will be different."
His voice was cold, like an oath carved into stone.
"I know there is no way to kill the Son of Destiny. But I do not need to. My rise will be my revenge. My achievements will crush them. They will look up at me while they crawl on the ground. Their pride, their arrogance—will be the blade that destroys them."
His cultivation journey had only just begun.
The world would tremble.