Jiang Chen's eyes snapped open.
The Chaos Seed Realm vanished, dissolving into mist-like golden-black energy. His body was drenched in sweat, his muscles twitching from the overwhelming power still coursing through him. The sensation was both exhilarating and unbearable, like molten lightning surging through his veins.
And then, he felt it.
A presence.
Too close.
Jiang Chen's instincts screamed at him. Someone was here.
His body moved before his mind even processed it—
BOOM!
A blast of chaotic force erupted from him, sending the shadowed figure flying backward, slamming against the wooden wall with a sickening crack.
Jiang Chen shot up, gripping his spear in a blur. His amber-gold eyes blazed, scanning the dim room. His breath was ragged, his muscles still adjusting to the sheer overflow of power from his time in the Chaos Realm.
A groan.
The figure stirred—an assassin, cloaked in black, struggling to rise. His wrist twisted unnaturally, broken from the impact, but his other hand still reached for a dagger.
Jiang Chen exhaled, already annoyed.
"Oh, for fuck's sake."
He kicked the dagger aside and grabbed the bastard by the throat.
With a single blur of movement, he slammed him into the floor so hard the boards cracked. The assassin let out a choked wheeze, his limbs spasming.
"Who sent you?" Jiang Chen demanded, his voice low, sharp.
The assassin stayed silent, though his eyes darted toward his sleeve.
Poison pill.
Jiang Chen's Chaos Core flared, and a pulse of energy rippled through the assassin's meridians—locking them in place.
A strangled gasp left the assassin's lips as his Qi turned against him, paralyzing his muscles. His eyes widened in terror.
"I said, who sent you?" Jiang Chen growled. "Tell me, or I'll make sure you feel every bone in your body breaking one by one."
The man twitched violently, his will crumbling.
"C-Crimson Blade Sect!" he choked. "The Elders—they want you gone! After what you did in the Moonlit Courtyard—they see you as a threat!"
Jiang Chen's grip tightened.
A threat? He understood revenge, but this was deeper. Why did they care this much about him?
"What else?"
The assassin shook his head frantically, sweat dripping down his face. "I-I don't know! They just said you're dangerous! That someone wants you dead before you get stronger!"
Jiang Chen stilled.
"Someone?"
A sharp thud echoed from below.
His instincts flared—danger.
He threw the assassin aside and whirled toward the entrance.
And then—
The door exploded inward.
A wave of killing intent crashed into the room.
Jiang Chen barely had time to brace before six figures strode into the wreckage of his inn room, their crimson robes fluttering.
His gaze swept over them.
Three Peak Qi Condensation cultivators.Two at Early Foundation Establishment.One... stronger than the rest.
The leader, a tall, scarred man with an arrogant smirk, carried himself with confidence. Too much confidence.
Jiang Chen exhaled slowly, his muscles coiling like a drawn bowstring.
The assassin he had just interrogated let out a weak croak, trying to crawl away.
The leader spared him a glance—and then snapped his fingers.
A sword flashed, and the assassin's head hit the floor.
Jiang Chen's expression darkened.
"Sloppy work, Liu Fen," the leader murmured, stepping past the body. "You had one job."
Jiang Chen cracked his neck. "Let me guess. You're here to clean up his mess?"
The leader smirked. "Oh no, I'm here to make an example out of you."
Jiang Chen sighed.
"You Crimson Blade bastards really don't learn, do you?" He twirled his spear, the air humming with chaotic force as it cut through space.
The leader's smirk twitched.
He felt that.
One of the Foundation Establishment disciples sneered. "You think just because you embarrassed a few Outer Disciples, you can—"
Jiang Chen moved.
A blur of motion.
Before the man could finish his sentence—
BOOM!
Jiang Chen's Chaos Dominion activated, and the air around them warped.
His spear struck forward, bending the very force in the space between them. The disciple's body snapped backward, sent flying through the broken doorway and crashing into the street.
A stunned silence fell over the room.
Jiang Chen spun his spear lazily. "Oops. Did I interrupt?"
The remaining disciples staggered, suddenly aware that this wasn't some weakling who got lucky.
The leader's smirk vanished.
"Kill him," he said coldly.
Jiang Chen fought relentlessly, his spear clashing against multiple enemies at once. But something felt off.
His spear—despite being enhanced with Force Intent—wasn't breaking through fast enough.
His mind flashed back to his time in the Chaos Seed Realm. The Chaos Essence Pool, the endless crushing waves, the sensation of being compressed by raw power.
I was never meant to just release force outward...
What if I compressed it inward?
In a split-second decision, Jiang Chen focused his Force Intent, bending it inward instead of outward.
And the world slowed.
His spear hummed, not just with raw power—but with something deeper.
A disciple lunged—too late.
Jiang Chen thrust forward.
The spear pierced the air—then detonated.
BOOOOM!
The disciple's ribcage collapsed, force erupting inward, imploding his bones before he was blasted backward.
Jiang Chen's eyes widened.
Compression.
The power of Force, folded into a singular point, then released all at once.
His grip tightened on his spear.
The disciples hesitated.
Jiang Chen grinned.
"Who's next?"
The leader watched his men fall one by one, his smirk replaced with a cold, calculating stare.
Jiang Chen exhaled, twirling his spear. "What's wrong? Weren't you here to kill me?"
The leader's jaw tightened. "This isn't over."
He took a step back. The remaining disciples followed suit, retreating into the night.
Jiang Chen watched them go, rolling his shoulders. He could have pursued them, wiped them out completely.
But no.
Let them run. Let them tell their sect.
Let them fear what he had become.