The moment Jiang Chen stepped out of the cavern, the wilderness stirred.
The Evernight Valley was not just a land—it was a force. A living, breathing entity that recognized strength, that nurtured and tested those who dared to walk its depths.
Jiang Chen clenched his fists, feeling the immense weight of power surging within him. His entire body felt lighter, his meridians thrumming with an energy so pure and refined that it almost felt foreign.
But it was his. Completely his.
And he needed to test it.
Jiang Chen took a slow, measured breath, letting the chaotic energy in his core pulse outward. Something had changed.
Before, his Chaos Qi had been wild, untamed, something that only reacted when he forcefully drew it out. Now?
It moved through his body naturally, fusing with his meridians, reinforcing his foundation. It was as if the Lunar Essence had refined him beyond the ordinary—beyond what even normal cultivators in his realm could achieve.
Then, he noticed something else.
He could access more Chaos Qi than before.
A slow grin crept onto his face. Good.
Very good.
He flexed his fingers, focusing on the energy coiling within him. Could he—?
Jiang Chen thrust his palm forward, channeling Chaos Qi into the Law of Force. He didn't just use raw power—he willed the energy to move beyond himself.
The air shook.
A visible shockwave rippled outward, tearing through the trees in front of him.
Jiang Chen's eyes widened.
This was new.
Before, the Law of Force had only enhanced his strikes, amplifying his power upon impact. But now—he could send that force outward. A ranged attack.
A slow, delighted chuckle left his lips.
"Tch, this place really is baptizing me."
But why?
Why was this land forging him? For what purpose?
He didn't have the answers yet.
But he knew one thing.
He was going to use this power to tear apart anything that stood in his way.
The wilderness did not let him dwell on his thoughts for long.
It came from the shadows.
A predator, ancient and patient.
Jiang Chen felt the shift in the wind, the subtle change in pressure—then, a guttural, rumbling snarl echoed through the trees.
His golden-amber eyes snapped toward the sound.
A creature emerged from the underbrush—a massive Shadowfang Ravager.
Late Foundation Establishment Danger Level.
Jet-black fur, each strand glistening like obsidian blades under the dim light. Eyes that burned with a cold, predatory hunger. Clawed limbs built for tearing flesh from bone.
Jiang Chen rolled his shoulders, exhaling.
"Heh. Guess I don't have to go looking for a test."
The Ravager didn't wait.
It pounced.
A black blur, faster than anything he had fought before.
Jiang Chen barely had time to react—his instincts screamed, his body moving on its own.
BOOM!
He pivoted, twisting mid-air, his spear snapping up just in time to meet the beast's claws.
The impact sent a shockwave tearing through the forest, leaves and debris scattering from the sheer force.
A test.
A challenge.
And Jiang Chen welcomed it.
Jiang Chen didn't wait for the Ravager to attack again.
He charged.
His Chaos Qi surged, merging with the Law of Force, flowing into his spear as he lashed out. The air itself trembled as his strike landed.
CRACK!
The Ravager's flank dented, but its body twisted unnaturally, absorbing the impact better than expected.
Jiang Chen's pupils shrank slightly.
It can distribute force across its body?
The beast's growl was deep, almost mocking.
Jiang Chen smirked. "Alright, let's see how you handle something new."
He shifted his stance, Chaos Qi threading through his limbs.
Instead of direct force—he extended it outward.
His spear thrust forward, but the force did not stop at impact.
Instead, the energy passed through the beast, detonating behind it in a delayed rupture.
BOOM!
The Ravager staggered, its balance disrupted.
Jiang Chen's grin widened.
This is it. This is the next step, I'll call it Chaotic Spear Strike. Yes, that has a nice ring.
But before he could press the advantage—
A counterattack.
The Ravager's tail lashed out like a whip, a black shadow slicing through the air.
Jiang Chen barely dodged in time—
SLASH!
Pain.
A thin gash opened across his ribs, blood seeping into his robes.
His body burned, but he didn't falter.
Instead, he gritted his teeth.
"Tch… that actually fucking stung."
But he wasn't done.
Not even close.
The battle escalated.
Jiang Chen was no longer just a brawler.
He flowed—his movements effortless, every dodge, every strike refined and calculated.
His Chaos Qi no longer just enhanced his attacks—it was part of his every move.
He was evolving.
And the Ravager knew it.
The beast lunged again, but Jiang Chen didn't just meet it head-on this time.
He sidestepped at the last second, shifting his weight—then extended force behind him.
A delayed shockwave exploded at his feet, launching him above the Ravager's head.
The beast's eyes widened in realization.
Too slow.
Jiang Chen's spear descended like divine judgment.
Chaos Qi coiled around the weapon, spiraling like a vortex. He Roared.
"CHAOTIC"
"SPEAR"
"STRIKE"
BOOM!
The spear pierced through the Ravager's back, the impact rupturing the ground beneath it.
Blood sprayed.
The beast howled in agony, but it was still alive—still fighting.
Jiang Chen panted, his heart hammering.
This was good.
This was exactly what he needed.
But he knew—this battle wasn't over yet.
The Ravager was wounded.
But it was about to show its true ferocity.
And Jiang Chen would have to survive it.
The air shook as the Shadowfang Ravager let out a bone-chilling howl, the sound reverberating through the dark forest like the wail of a phantom. The beast's silver-black fur bristled as an ominous energy pulsed from its body, distorting the shadows around it.
Jiang Chen wiped a streak of blood from his lips, his golden-amber eyes burning with an intensity that could pierce through the void. His Chaos Qi swirled around him, flickering like black-gold lightning as it merged into his Law of Force.
The battle had reached its final stage.
And Jiang Chen was done playing defense.
The Shadowfang Ravager lowered its stance, its eyes flashing with an unnatural crimson gleam. Its breathing became erratic, its muscles coiling like steel cables ready to snap.
It's changing… Jiang Chen thought, instincts screaming at him to stay alert.
The bloodline of the Abyssal Night Wolf—a long-extinct beast that once ruled the darkened valleys of the ancient era—was activating.
The Ravager's form blurred, dissolving into the surrounding darkness as if it had become one with the night itself. The already scarce light within the Evernight Valley seemed to dim further, the beast's presence completely vanishing.
Jiang Chen's brows furrowed. His senses were sharp, honed by battle, but even he struggled to track it. The Shadowfang Ravager had no scent, no sound, no Qi fluctuations—as if it had ceased to exist.
A whisper of movement.
Jiang Chen twisted instinctively—
SHHHNK!
A clawed shadow ripped through his side, tearing open his ribs. Blood splattered across the forest floor as Jiang Chen was sent hurtling backward, crashing through a jagged rock formation.
"FUCK!" Jiang Chen gritted his teeth, pain flaring through his body. His Chaos Qi surged, sealing the wound as fast as it had appeared, but the damage had already been done.
This wasn't just stealth.
The Ravager was weaving in and out of reality itself.
A sinister growl echoed from every direction at once. Jiang Chen narrowed his eyes, tightening his grip on his spear.
Then—it struck again.
From directly above, a hyper-compressed Qi attack condensed around the Ravager's jaws, forming a blade-like edge of pure spatial distortion.
Jiang Chen's eyes flashed.
His instincts screamed move, but—too late.
The Void Fang Strike slashed through his Chaos Qi barrier as if it didn't exist. A searing pain lanced across Jiang Chen's back as the attack tore into his flesh, bypassing his defenses entirely.
Jiang Chen staggered forward, barely avoiding a fatal blow. His body ached, blood dripped onto the ground, but his mind was sharper than ever.
This thing… it's cutting through Qi itself.
The attack wasn't just strong—it was designed to tear through cultivators who relied on Qi defenses.
This wasn't just a beast—it was a nightmare for any Qi-based fighter.
And Jiang Chen was fucking done with it.
"Enough."
Jiang Chen's breath steadied as his Chaos Qi surged again, this time, deliberately.
The Ravager circled him, waiting for another moment to strike. But Jiang Chen had seen through it.
Instead of relying on his senses, he relied on his Law of Force.
He closed his eyes.
And then, he felt it.
The shifts in the air.
The subtle force distortions.
The void-rippling pressure whenever the beast prepared to lunge.
Jiang Chen smirked.
"You're fucking dead."
His spear moved—but not to strike.
Instead, Jiang Chen slammed the ground.
BOOM!
A ripple of chaotic force expanded outward, shattering the very air like a shockwave of warping energy.
The darkness twisted.
And for the first time—the Ravager reappeared.
Caught.
Its once-perfect stealth was shattered by Jiang Chen's force resonance—the Chaos-infused shockwave disrupting its Shadow Assimilation!
Before it could react—
Jiang Chen launched himself forward, his spear roaring through the air like a divine executioner's blade.
The Ravager tried to dodge—but too late.
Jiang Chen's spear PIERCED through its shoulder, the chaotic energy detonating upon impact.
A shockwave erupted, splintering the trees around them and sending the beast skidding across the battlefield, its silver fur now drenched in blood.
It snarled, struggling to rise.
Jiang Chen grinned through the pain, spinning his spear.
"That's right, you mangy fuck. You bleed too."
The Ravager trembled.
Then—its entire body ignited with a black infernal glow.
Jiang Chen's eyes narrowed.
Shit. It's burning its own life force.
The Ravager's muscles expanded, its already terrifying speed increasing severalfold. It no longer cared about defense—it was in berserker mode, hellbent on tearing Jiang Chen apart before it died.
And in the next instant—
It vanished from sight.
This time… even Jiang Chen struggled to keep up.
BOOM!
The Ravager exploded forward, its claws tearing through the wind like reapers' scythes.
Jiang Chen barely dodged, twisting his body as the air itself screamed from the beast's movements.
Another strike—he blocked, but the impact sent him skidding backward, his feet digging trenches into the dirt.
Then another.
And another.
The Ravager was relentless, attacking with inhuman speed. Jiang Chen was dodging by inches, countering where he could, but his body was reaching its limits.
It's like fighting a fucking storm!
He needed one final move.
One decisive strike.
Jiang Chen's eyes burned with golden fire.
He gripped his spear tightly, Chaos Qi coiling violently around him.
If this thing wanted a final battle to the death—
Then he'd fucking give it one.
Jiang Chen's Chaos Qi flared, the very ground beneath him fracturing from the raw pressure.
The Shadowfang Ravager's body burned with shadow flames, its crimson eyes filled with killing intent.
The two stared each other down—
Predator vs. Predator.
A battle that would end in only one surviving.
And then—
They charged.
Jiang Chen's breath came in ragged gasps, his body aching from the dozens of wounds scattered across his frame. Blood seeped from his side, his arms felt like lead, but his golden-amber eyes still burned with defiance.
The Shadowfang Ravager stood opposite him, its silver-black fur now drenched in its own blood, panting heavily. Its once-pristine form had been battered, punctured, and torn apart by Jiang Chen's relentless counterattacks. But despite the injuries, its crimson gaze still shimmered with feral rage.
Both of them knew—this fight was seconds away from its conclusion.
Jiang Chen tightened his grip on his spear, Chaos Qi spiraling around it in an almost unstable vortex, as if the very laws of reality were distorting around his weapon.
The Ravager lowered its stance, its muscles flexing—one final pounce.
Jiang Chen smirked, despite the pain.
"Come on then, you stubborn bastard…" he growled, his voice hoarse yet brimming with an unshakable will.
A gust of wind swept through the battlefield, carrying the scent of blood, sweat, and death.
Then—they moved.
The Ravager lunged, its claws flashing through the darkness like streaks of silver lightning—a blow meant to tear Jiang Chen's throat clean from his body.
Jiang Chen didn't retreat.
He advanced.
His spear shot forward, chaotic energy twisting around the tip like a black sun, his entire body moving with absolute precision.
A heartbeat passed.
Then, in the next instant—
The world erupted.
Jiang Chen's spear pierced straight through the Ravager's chest, the sheer force of the thrust sending a shockwave tearing through the valley floor.
The Ravager's body jerked, its own attack stopping just inches from Jiang Chen's throat.
Its crimson eyes widened, disbelief flashing across its gaze.
The spear had struck dead center—shattering through bone, muscle, and Qi-infused flesh, driving straight into the Ravager's core.
The beast trembled, its monstrous body convulsing as its strength rapidly drained away.
Jiang Chen twisted the spear.
The Ravager shuddered violently—then collapsed.
Its massive form hit the ground with a resounding thud, dust rising around it like an execution pyre.
Jiang Chen stood there, breathing heavily, his spear still lodged deep within its chest.
For a moment, silence.
Then—the Shadowfang Ravager let out one final, guttural growl, its gaze no longer filled with rage, but something else.
Acceptance.
Jiang Chen met its eyes. He had seen this look before—in the wilderness, when apex predators acknowledged another as their equal… or their better.
A slow breath escaped his lips.
Then, with a final yank, he ripped his spear free, blood spraying onto the already ruined battlefield.
The Shadowfang Ravager let out one last breath, its form going still.
Jiang Chen exhaled sharply, finally allowing his body to acknowledge the sheer exhaustion coursing through him. His muscles screamed in protest, his wounds throbbed, but his mind was still sharp.
The fight was over.
He had won.
But barely.
Jiang Chen collapsed onto one knee, gripping his spear for support, his chest rising and falling as he tried to steady himself.
Then, amidst the eerie quiet, he felt it.
A subtle resonance, a shift in the very energy around him.
His gaze slowly lifted toward the depths of the valley—toward something calling to him.
Something hidden.
Something meant for him.
His golden-amber eyes flickered with intrigue.
"...What the hell is this place?"
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