"Father, Su Hao has already sent word: we must expel Su Chen from the clan, or else the Su Clan will enforce clan law and purge the family."
"Sigh! He has already crippled Su Chen's Blood Wheel, yet he still refuses to spare him? If third brother were still alive, Su Hao would never have dared pull such a stunt. Poor Su Chen had only just awakened his Emperor Bone before Su Hao forcibly ripped it out."
"Su Hao is the supreme prodigy of the entire Su Clan, and now he has reached the peak Solid Core Realm. Are we supposed to doom the entire clan for the sake of a cripple?"
Eastern Wasteland.
Pan-Ding Empire.
Panyou City, the Su Residence.
The elder seated at the head of the great hall had a weathered face carved with grim gloom, his pitch-black eyes resembling two bottomless abysses that made one's hair stand on end.
"Father, Su Hao has already promised that as long as the family expels Su Chen, he will allow Su Yang to join the Su Clan and cultivate there. Su Yang has already awakened his Blood Wheel and successfully achieved Foundation Establishment."
"Shut your mouth."
Seeing that his father was truly angered, Su Xuan did not dare speak another word.
His gaze growing increasingly icy, Su Yuan clenched his fists tightly. How could he not understand what Su Hao was driving at? Yet he was utterly powerless.
The Panyou City branch was merely a tiny offshoot of the Su Clan. If the Su Clan truly wished it, they could wipe out this family with a flick of a finger.
Back then, when Su Hao had publicly stripped away Su Chen's newly awakened Emperor Bone, not a single soul in the Su family dared step forward to stop him. Because of that incident, Su Yuan had lived with crushing guilt for a full ten years.
In the Tianhuang Mainland, martial artists reigned supreme.
The path of cultivation was divided into the Postcelestial Realm, Xiantian Realm, Foundation Establishment Realm, Golden Core Realm, Nascent Soul Realm, Soul Palace Realm, and Condensing Spirit Realm...
When any person reached the age of six, their bloodline would awaken; only by doing so could one draw the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into the body and break through to the Xiantian Realm.
As for martial artists wishing to achieve Foundation Establishment, their bloodline needed to evolve a Blood Wheel. By channeling spiritual energy into the Blood Wheel, one built the foundation. One could truly say that those incapable of manifesting a Blood Wheel were doomed to fail at Foundation Establishment for the rest of their lives.
At age six, Su Chen had successfully awakened his bloodline, and even manifested a natal Emperor Bone that triggered celestial phenomena stretching for ten thousand miles, shocking all directions.
A born Emperor Bone destined to step into the Emperor Realm.
Yet never had he imagined...
Su Hao of the Su Clan happened to be passing by. Seeing the celestial signs, he immediately made his move to rob Su Chen of his Emperor Bone. As long as the Emperor Bone had not yet fully fused, it could be forcibly ripped away.
Even after losing his Emperor Bone, Su Chen refused to yield to despair or give up. Working harder than anyone else, he finally relied on his bloodline to evolve a Blood Wheel and successfully achieved Foundation Establishment, becoming the very first member of the younger generation in the Su family to do so.
Three days ago, in order to save his ailing father Su Zhan, Su Chen had ventured into the Heavenly Punishment Forest to search for Sky Soul Grass, only to cross paths with Su Hao once more.
Su Hao deliberately crippled Su Chen's Blood Wheel, yet stopped short of killing him. His sole purpose was to let Su Chen live on as a crippled outcast, so that he could look down upon him from on high.
"Wake Chen'er up and have him come see me."
Hearing their father's words, both Su Hong and Su Xuan understood that their father had made his choice. For the sake of the entire clan, they had no alternative but to sacrifice Su Chen and expel him from the family.
***
In the remote, secluded courtyard in the northwest corner.
Dusk descended.
Inside the dim room, a young man lay upon the bed. His handsome, resolute face bore traces of lingering pain. With sword-like brows, starry eyes, and a deep, profound gaze, he kept his eyes tightly shut.
Suddenly, he snapped his eyes open. As Su Chen felt the heart-rending agony coursing through his body, his entire face turned as pale and bloodless as a sheet of paper.
"Su Hao!"
In the battle at the Heavenly Punishment Forest, he had failed to withstand even a single move from Su Hao before his Blood Wheel was shattered.
Leaving him alive was nothing more than a desire to watch him become a useless cripple, looking down upon him with condescending contempt. If not for fusing with his Emperor Bone, how could Su Hao have attained his current achievements?
It was a reality impossible to accept.
The Blood Wheel was the very foundation upon which a martial artist built their cultivation.
Even if the Emperor Bone was stripped away, one could still continue to cultivate; as long as talent was not lacking and one worked hard enough, advancement step by step remained entirely possible.
The Blood Wheel, however, was fundamentally different. Without a Blood Wheel, a martial artist was doomed to never achieve Foundation Establishment.
Sensing his cultivation—having plummeted from the Foundation Establishment Realm all the way back down to the Xiantian Realm—Su Chen could no longer suppress the bitter fury within his chest, and a mouthful of fresh blood sprayed forth.
Hum!
Su Chen felt a primordial, majestic bell chime suddenly echo within the depths of his mind. A tiny black pagoda slowly emerged from the center of his brow, hovering right before his face.
"A tiny black pagoda?"
Looking at the small black vessel floating before him, Su Chen was hardly unfamiliar with it.
Earlier in the Heavenly Punishment Forest, while searching for the Sky Soul Grass, he had accidentally stumbled into a cavern where the pattern of a black pagoda was etched upon the stone walls.
Before he could even touch it, the carved image of the black pagoda had abruptly vanished. Never had he expected that it had actually concealed itself within his body.
At that moment.
A powerful suction suddenly erupted from the small black pagoda, and his entire body vanished from the spot in an instant.
Inside the pagoda space.
It was a boundless, desolate realm where chaotic currents surged and swirled like thick paste across the surroundings. Su Chen, forcibly dragged inside, stared around in astonishment.
"Welcome, Master, to the Chaos Swallowing Pagoda."
An illusory figure gradually condensed before Su Chen. Its features were indiscernible, and its voice carried a mechanical cadence.
"Who are you?"
"Master, I am the spirit of the Chaos Swallowing Pagoda."
The pagoda spirit?
"Can you tell me what on earth has happened?"
The illusory figure nodded and slowly replied, "This Chaos Swallowing Pagoda is a supreme treasure of chaos, born within the primordial chaos itself. Only those who possess the Chaos Body are qualified to become the master of the Chaos Swallowing Pagoda."
"Master's Chaos Body was masked by the Emperor Bone. Once the bone was stripped away, the Chaos Swallowing Pagoda sensed it, allowing you to claim it as your master."
Listening to the pagoda spirit's explanation, Su Chen felt a strange realization: having his Emperor Bone ripped away was perhaps not a bad thing for him after all; rather, it was a blessing in disguise.
With a bitter laugh, he accepted his reality.
Now he could be certain of one thing: the Chaos Body was undoubtedly far superior to the Emperor Bone, and the Chaos Swallowing Pagoda he had obtained was an utterly heaven-defying treasure.
Sighing softly, Su Chen said helplessly, "My Blood Wheel is already shattered. Even with the Chaos Body, I cannot continue to cultivate Foundation Establishment."
"Please rest assured, Master. I can allow you to re-gather your Blood Wheel, and assist you in utilizing the swallowing power within the pagoda to manifest the Swallowing Blood Wheel."
"Dual Blood Wheels?"
In the Tianhuang Mainland, those who successfully achieved Foundation Establishment invariably awakened a Blood Wheel, almost always a single one. Only exceptionally rare martial artists possessed dual Blood Wheels.
Without exception, anyone blessed with dual Blood Wheels was destined to become a peerless powerhouse in the future. Su Chen had never dreamed that having his Emperor Bone ripped away and his Blood Wheel shattered would turn into a blessing, granting him dual Blood Wheels.
"Please sit, Master. I shall transmit the Chaos Swallowing Art on behalf of the Chaos Swallowing Pagoda."
Without hesitation, Su Chen immediately crossed his legs and sat down, slowly closing his eyes. In an instant, he felt streams of information flood his mind like a tidal wave—it was precisely the Chaos Swallowing Art the pagoda spirit had just mentioned.
***
The Chaos Swallowing Art could only be cultivated in conjunction with the Chaos Body.
A misty, primordial voice reverberated throughout his mind.
*The Chaos Great Dao seizes the creation of heaven and earth and commands the reincarnation of the ages. Only by peering into the Chaos Great Dao can one achieve immortality. The Chaos Swallowing Art devours all things of chaos, swallowing step by step, defying the heavens step by step, and ascending to the peak of the Chaos Great Dao.*
Hum!
The bell chime resounded through the entire expanse of his consciousness.
Su Chen's body shuddered violently, pain once more contorting his features, but he gritted his teeth and held on.
Above his head, his shattered Blood Wheel unexpectedly began to slowly re-condense. It formed a circular disc, crimson through and through.
Throughout the Su Clan, everyone who carried the clan's bloodline awakened a sword-shaped Blood Wheel.
Su Chen was no exception.
Floating within the Blood Wheel manifesting above his head were broken shards of a shattered blade. As it re-formed, Su Chen could no longer suppress the murderous intent in his heart; his boundless desire to slaughter Su Hao began to pour into the Blood Wheel, using slaughter as a medium to re-forge the sword Blood Wheel.
He would never forget 'Su Hao'. Ten years ago, his Emperor Bone was stripped away, and ten years later, his Blood Wheel was crippled—all of it brought about by this very person.
The sword forged through slaughter erupted with a terrifying intent within the Blood Wheel, resembling vengeful spirits from the depths of a boundless abyss as they wantonly devoured the clouds across ten thousand miles.
With his Blood Wheel re-gathered, Su Chen began his re-establishment of Foundation, and the Chaos Body within him manifested at last.
A vast, majestic aura of chaos instantly enveloped his entire body. Behind him, a ten-thousand-foot-tall phantom condensed, blazing with a myriad rays of grayish-black light that permeated the entire pagoda space.
"Blood Wheel gathered, Foundation condensed."
Rumble!
Rolling waves of chaotic aura, covered by the towering phantom of the chaos body, took the cultivation that had previously plummeted and surged upward. Fueled by the Blood Wheel devouring spiritual energy, he instantly re-established his foundation without encountering the slightest bottleneck.
With the Chaos Swallowing Art now integrated into his mind, Su Chen naturally would not let slip this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He immediately began circulating the technique, turning his entire body into a vortex that frantically began to devour energy.
The surrounding chaotic energy was drawn into Su Chen's vortex, pouring endlessly into his body to form a cyclical, circular vortex within his dantian.
As the swallowing speed grew ever faster...
Above Su Chen's head, where the murderous sword Blood Wheel had just appeared, another circular Blood Wheel condensed. Within it swirled a vortex of black mist—precisely the Swallowing Blood Wheel the pagoda spirit had spoken of.
The black mist vortex inside the Swallowing Blood Wheel gradually formed a black hole, radiating an awe-inspiring swallowing aura whose grade was clearly superior to that of the murderous sword Blood Wheel.
Dual Blood Wheels: one was the Slaughter Sword Blood Wheel, and the other was the Swallowing Blood Wheel.
Su Chen had never imagined that one day he would possess two Blood Wheels.
Just as Su Chen was preparing to halt, he suddenly discovered that the bloodline within his body seemed to be showing fractures.
What was happening?
Could it be that his bloodline had been sealed by some mysterious power?
How could such a thing be possible? Who would inexplicably seal someone's bloodline? Yet as he sensed the condition within, there indeed existed a certain sealing force, which now began to fracture under the operation of the Chaos Swallowing Art.
As the first crack appeared, a second and a third fracture soon spread across the seal of his entire bloodline, until countless fissures covered it like a giant spiderweb.
Operating through every part of his body with matchless tyranny, the Chaos Swallowing Art shattered the seal completely. The imprisoned bloodline broke free like wild horses, galloping wantonly across a boundless battlefield.
A dragon's roar.
An elephant's trumpet.
Roared out from his bloodline in unison.
Dragon roar and elephant trumpet.
His bloodline churned furiously like boiling water.
Snapping his eyes open, he watched as his uncontrollable bloodline spewed forth nine divine dragon phantoms and nine gigantic elephant illusions, which reared back and roared at the sky above his head.
"Congratulations, Master, for awakening the Dragon-Elephant Bloodline. You can now condense a third Blood Wheel."
Even though Su Chen had already guessed a hint of the truth, hearing the pagoda spirit's confirmation still left him filled with utter shock.
Three Blood Wheels?
It was absolute history in the making, and likely unprecedented for generations to come.
Looking across the entire Tianhuang Mainland, who else could possibly wield three Blood Wheels simultaneously?
Even Su Chen was somewhat dazed. To this moment, he could not fathom who on earth had sealed the bloodline within him, preventing him from condensing the Dragon-Elephant Bloodline in the first place.
He did not suppress the bloodline.
Accompanied by the frantic churning of his bloodline, wave after wave of dragon roars and elephant trumpets echoed, and a third Blood Wheel condensed above Su Chen's head.
Phantoms of dragons and elephants manifested within the Blood Wheel. The three Blood Wheels stacked neatly one atop another, shrouding his entire body in overlapping waves of Blood Wheel aura.
Previously, Su Chen had broken through to the Level 3 Foundation Establishment Realm, but because his Blood Wheel was shattered, his cultivation had dropped back to the Xiantian Realm.
Now, aided by the re-gathering of his Blood Wheel, his re-establishment of Foundation, and the layered superposition of three Blood Wheels, Su Chen—having re-entered the Foundation Establishment Realm—began a rapid ascent in power.
Level 1 Foundation Establishment Realm!
Level 2 Foundation Establishment Realm!
Level 3 Foundation Establishment Realm!
Level 4 Foundation Establishment Realm!
Level 5 Foundation Establishment Realm!
Level 6 Foundation Establishment Realm!
Level 7 Foundation Establishment Realm!
Surpassing his previous cultivation by four entire tiers, this blessing in disguise left Su Chen unable to contain his inner joy.
"Congratulations, Master, for possessing three Blood Wheels."
Standing up, Su Chen felt that his internal injuries had completely healed. The sensation of wielding three Blood Wheels was truly exhilarating; the absolute suppression of the Blood Wheels gave him the absolute confidence to sweep across the Foundation Establishment Realm, and even put up a fight against low-level Void Pill Realm martial artists.
The Golden Core Realm was further divided into three realms: the Void Pill Realm, the Solid Core Realm, and the Golden Core Realm.
Su Hao happened to stand at the peak Solid Core Realm.
"Master, I have a welcoming gift for you."
The pagoda spirit produced a writing brush and handed it over.
Taking the brush, Su Chen saw two characters carved onto its handle: *Zang Jie*. Before he could speak, the pagoda spirit explained, "Master, this brush is named the Zang Jie Brush. Once unleashed, it can forge a zone of tribulation prohibition within a specific spatial boundary."
"Are there any restrictions?"
"The realms cannot differ too vastly, and each use of the Zang Jie Brush consumes a tremendous amount of soul power."
"Understood."
The pagoda spirit continued, "Master, the Chaos Swallowing Pagoda holds numerous martial arts techniques and treasures. If you wish to acquire them, you must continue to grow stronger so you may obtain whatever you desire from within the pagoda."
"Good."
Turning around, Su Chen clenched his fists tightly. His profound eyes were filled with hatred, and waves of murderous intent surged from his body, resembling an ancient fierce beast roaring at the heavens, eager to devour the entire firmament.
"Su Hao, I will come to the Su Clan to find you. The debt of the stolen bone and the grievance of the crippled wheel—I shall take it all back with interest."
The Su Clan stood as one of the supreme powers of the Eastern Wasteland. Even the Pan-Ding Empire was no more than an ant before them.
What he needed most right now was time. Given his current state, his cultivation speed was dozens of times faster than before. He believed the day of his vengeance was not far off.
***
Bang!
With a deafening crash, the heavy wooden door was kicked open violently.
Dozens of people trooped in from outside, looking fierce and malevolent—clearly here to stir up trouble.
"Young Master, Su Chen hasn't woken up yet. If we barge in like this, won't we be blamed by the Clan Head?"
Slap!
The young man delivered a vicious backhand slap. His gloomy face betrayed a trace of ruthlessness as he said coldly, "What a useless coward. Su Chen is about to be expelled from the clan anyway; do I still need to care? Su Chen is obviously refusing to face reality and is deliberately playing unconscious. Don't think little tricks like that can fool me."
Su Yang, the son of Su Xuan, the eldest uncle of the Su family. Three days ago, he had successfully evolved a Blood Wheel and achieved Foundation Establishment, becoming the second person of the younger generation in the Su family to do so.
The first person to achieve Foundation Establishment had been Su Chen.
Even back when Su Chen's Emperor Bone had been ripped away, his talent and strength had still commanded the awe of the entire Su family.
Yet Su Yang had acted like a fawning lapdog, trailing behind Su Chen day in and day out, calling him elder brother with as much subservience as possible.
Precisely because of this, watching Su Chen's Blood Wheel get destroyed and his cultivation plummet to the Xiantian Realm filled Su Yang's heart with sheer elation. The reversal of their strengths meant their positions would reverse as well.
He refused to be the sycophantic lapdog of the past ever again. Now, he could look down upon Su Chen from above and take back every ounce of dignity he had once lost.
In Su Yang's eyes, regardless of whether Su Chen's coma was real or fake, he was going to thoroughly humiliate him before Su Chen was cast out of the family.
"Someone drag Su Chen out here. I want to see just how long he can keep up this act."
"Yes!"
Not a single person dared to defy him.
The situation in the Su family had clearly changed.
With Su Chen's once-glorious status ruined by his shattered Blood Wheel and the intimidation of the Su Clan, not only had his standing plummeted to rock bottom, but he was also about to be expelled by the Clan Head.
When Su Chen had been riding high, Su Yang had undoubtedly been the most sycophantic of flatterers; but now, that former groveling had morphed into vicious malice. Only by doing so could he soothe the anger and reclaim the dignity within his heart.
As for Su Yang himself, he had successfully achieved Foundation Establishment and would soon head to the Su Clan. When that time came, even the Clan Head would have to treat him with utmost respect, let alone the rest of them.
Before the crowd could step into the room...
Creak.
The door was pushed open, and Su Chen walked out.
Gazing at the dozens of people before him, his expression turned icy cold. His voice carried a biting chill as he commanded, "All of you, get the hell out of here."
His Blood Wheel destroyed, his cultivation fallen to the Xiantian Realm, and he still dared to act arrogant here?
Su Yang let out a cold snort, his face full of mockery as he sneered, "Su Chen, stop putting on airs. Grandfather has already decided to expel you from the family. Right now, you're nothing more than a stray dog. If you kneel before me and beg, perhaps I might show you some mercy; otherwise, you can imagine the consequences for yourself."
The epitome of petty villainy triumphant.
The more he acted this way, the more exhilarated Su Yang felt. He wanted nothing more than to trample Su Chen beneath his feet and humiliate him ruthlessly.
To humiliate this former genius of the Su family.
Whenever he recalled how he used to play the dog trailing behind this fellow's coattails, Su Yang couldn't suppress the rage in his heart. Only through humiliation could he feel his dignity restored; only thus could he find satisfaction.
Standing behind Su Yang, the dozens of men rolled up their sleeves, glaring at Su Chen with venomous eyes.
To humiliate the former genius of the clan was an immensely gratifying thing for them.
All they needed to do right now was please Su Yang so they could reap the greatest benefits and rewards.
Stepping on Su Chen was the only way to win Su Yang's favor.
"Su Yang, you were a dog before, and you're still a dog now. As for wanting to bark twice, you'd better check whether your fangs are sharp enough."
Insulted as a dog in public...