"Father, Su Hao has already sent word. We must expel Su Chen from the clan, or else the Su Clan will invoke clan law and purge the family."
"Sigh! He has already destroyed Su Chen's Blood Wheel, must he still press for his complete destruction? If Third Brother hadn't met with disaster back then, Su Hao would never have dared to act so brazenly. Poor Su Chen had only just awakened his Emperor Bone when Su Hao forcefully ripped it from him!"
"Su Hao is the premier genius of the entire Su Clan, and now he has even reached the Peak Solid Pill Realm. Are we supposed to ruin the entire clan for the sake of a cripple?"
Eastern Wasteland.
Panding Imperial Dynasty.
Panyou City, the Su Clan.
Seated in the main seat of the grand hall, the elder's weather-beaten face was deeply grim, his pitch-black eyes resembling two bottomless abysses that chilled the soul.
"Father, Su Hao has already promised that as long as the clan 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 reached Foundation Establishment."
"Silence."
Seeing that his father was truly angered, Su Xuan did not dare speak further.
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 minor offshoot of the Su Clan. If the Su Clan truly wished it, a mere flick of a finger could easily wipe them out.
Back then, when Su Hao had publicly stripped away Su Chen's newly awakened Emperor Bone, not a single person in the Su Clan dared to step forward and stop him. Because of this matter, Su Yuan had lived with crushing guilt for a full ten years.
In the Tianhuang Continent, martial artists reigned supreme.
The stages of martial cultivation were divided into the Postcelestial Realm, Xiantian Realm, Foundation Establishment Realm, Golden Core Realm, Nascent Soul Realm, Soul Palace Realm, Condensing Spirit Realm...
When every person reached the age of six, their bloodline would awaken. Only in this manner could they draw the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into their bodies and break through to the Xiantian Realm.
As for martial artists wishing to reach Foundation Establishment, their bloodline needed to evolve a Blood Wheel. By channeling spiritual energy into the Blood Wheel, they could establish their foundation. It was no exaggeration to say that those incapable of evolving a Blood Wheel had no hope of ever succeeding in Foundation Establishment.
At the age of six, Su Chen had successfully awakened his bloodline, and moreover, awakened a companion Emperor Bone. It triggered a rare phenomenon that spanned ten thousand miles, startling all directions.
A birthright Emperor Bone meant certain entry into the Emperor Realm.
Yet no one could have foreseen this:
Su Hao of the Su Clan happened to be passing by, and upon seeing the heavenly phenomenon, he immediately made his move to seize Su Chen's Emperor Bone. As long as the Emperor Bone had not yet fully fused, it could be forcefully ripped away.
Even after losing his Emperor Bone, Su Chen refused to grow decadent or give up. He worked harder and more diligently than anyone else, eventually using his bloodline to evolve a Blood Wheel. He successfully achieved Foundation Establishment, becoming the very first person among the younger generation of the Su Clan to do so.
Three days ago, in order to gather the Heavenly Soul Grass to cure his father Su Zhan, Su Chen ventured into the Heavenly Punishment Forest—where he happened to cross paths with Su Hao.
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, so that he could look down upon him from on high.
"When Chen'er wakes up, have him come see me."
Hearing the elder's words, both Su Hong and Su Xuan understood that their father had made his decision. For the sake of the entire clan, they had no choice but to sacrifice Su Chen and expel him.
~~~~~~~~
In the remote 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 agony. With sword-like brows, starry eyes, cherry lips and white teeth, his profound gaze remained tightly shut.
Suddenly snapping his eyes open, Su Chen felt a heart-rending pain course through his body, turning his entire face as pale as a sheet of paper.
"Su Hao!"
In that battle within the Heavenly Punishment Forest, he hadn't even managed to withstand a single move from Su Hao before his Blood Wheel was shattered.
Sparing his life was nothing more than a desire to watch him become a cripple, to look down upon him from a lofty perch. If not for fusing with his Emperor Bone, could Su Hao have achieved what he did today?
He could not accept such a reality.
The Blood Wheel was the bedrock of a martial artist's cultivation.
Even with his Emperor Bone ripped away, he could have continued to cultivate; as long as his talent wasn't lacking and he worked hard enough, he could still advance step by step.
The Blood Wheel was entirely different. Without a Blood Wheel, a martial artist had no hope of Foundation Establishment for the rest of their life.
Sensing his cultivation within, which had plummeted from the Foundation Establishment Realm all the way down to the Xiantian Realm, Su Chen could no longer suppress the fierce resentment in his heart, and a mouthful of fresh blood spewed forth.
Hum!
Su Chen felt an ancient and vast bell toll suddenly echo in the depths of his mind. A tiny black pagoda slowly emerged from between his brows, hovering before him.
"A tiny black pagoda?"
Looking at the miniature black pagoda floating in front of him, Su Chen was naturally no stranger to it.
Earlier in the Heavenly Punishment Forest, while searching for the Heavenly Soul Grass, he had inadvertently stumbled into a cavern. On the cavern's stone wall, the pattern of a black pagoda had appeared.
Before he could even touch it, the shadowy projection of the black pagoda on the wall had suddenly vanished. He never expected that it had actually concealed itself within his body.
At that moment.
A powerful suction force suddenly emanated from the tiny black pagoda, and his entire body instantly vanished on the spot.
Inside the pagoda space.
It was a boundless, desolate realm where currents of energy surged like thick paste, covering everything around them. Su Chen, who had been forcibly sucked in, looked around in shock.
"Welcome, Master, to the Chaotic Devouring Tower."
An illusory figure gradually condensed before Su Chen's eyes. Its features were indiscernible, and its voice sounded entirely mechanical.
"Who are you?"
"Master, I am the spirit of the Chaotic Devouring Tower."
The tower spirit?
"Can you tell me what on earth has happened?"
The illusory figure nodded and slowly explained, "This Chaotic Devouring Tower is a supreme treasure of chaos, born from the primordial chaos itself. Only those who possess the Chaotic Physique are qualified to become the master of the Chaotic Devouring Tower."
"Master's Chaotic Physique was covered by the Emperor Bone. After the bone was stripped away, it triggered the resonance of the Chaotic Devouring Tower, allowing you to obtain it."
Listening to the tower spirit's words, Su Chen couldn't help but feel that having his Emperor Bone stripped away wasn't a bad thing for him after all—on the contrary, it was a blessing in disguise.
He smiled bitterly.
Now he could confirm one thing: the Chaotic Physique was undoubtedly superior to the Emperor Bone, and the Chaotic Devouring Tower he had acquired was likewise a heaven-defying supreme treasure.
Sighing, Su Chen said helplessly, "My Blood Wheel has already shattered. Even with the Chaotic Physique, I cannot continue with Foundation Establishment and cultivation."
"Please rest assured, Master. I can help you re-gather your Blood Wheel, and assist you in using the devouring power within the tower to evolve the Devouring Blood Wheel."
"Twin Blood Wheels?"
In the Tianhuang Continent, those who successfully achieved Foundation Establishment would invariably awaken a Blood Wheel, almost always a single one. Only exceptional martial artists possessed Twin Blood Wheels.
Without exception, those who possessed Twin Blood Wheels were destined to become supreme powerhouses in the future. Su Chen never imagined that having his Emperor Bone ripped away and his Blood Wheel shattered would turn into a blessing in disguise, granting him Twin Blood Wheels.
"Please sit, Master. I shall transmit the Chaos Devouring Art on behalf of the Chaotic Devouring Tower."
Without wasting any time, Su Chen immediately crossed his legs, slowly closed his eyes, and instantly felt streams of information flood his mind like a tidal wave—it was precisely the Chaos Devouring Art the tower spirit had just mentioned.
***
The Chaos Devouring Art could only be practiced in conjunction with the Chaotic Physique.
An ethereal, ancient voice resounded in his mind.
*The Chaos Great Dao seizes the fortune of heaven and earth and masters the reincarnation of time. Only by peeking into the Chaos Great Dao can one attain immortality. The Chaos Devouring Art devours all things in chaos, advancing step by step through devouring, defying the heavens at every step, and ascending to the peak of the Chaos Great Dao.*
Hum!
The bell toll rang through his entire mind.
Su Chen's body shuddered violently, pain once more surfacing on his face, but he gritted his teeth and held on.
His already shattered Blood Wheel unexpectedly began to slowly re-condense above his head—a circular wheel shape, entirely crimson red.
Throughout the Su Clan, everyone who carried the Su Clan's bloodline awakened a sword as their Blood Wheel.
Su Chen was no exception.
Floating within the Blood Wheel that manifested above his head were shattered fragments of a blade. As it re-condensed, Su Chen could no longer suppress the killing intent in his heart. His boundless murderous intent toward Su Hao began to converge 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—both disasters were brought about by this very man.
The sword condensed through slaughter as a medium erupted with an even more terrifying killing intent within the Blood Wheel, resembling vengeful spirits from the endless abyss as they wantonly devoured the clouds across ten thousand miles.
With the Blood Wheel re-gathered, Su Chen began his re-foundation-establishment, and the Chaotic Physique within his body manifested itself.
Torrents of vast chaotic energy instantly enveloped Su Chen's entire body. Behind him, a ten-thousand-foot-tall physical projection condensed, radiating dazzling gray-black light that spread across the entire interior space of the tower.
"Blood Wheel gathers, Foundation Establishment condenses."
Rumble!
Under the cover of the surging, vast chaotic energy and the ten-thousand-foot Chaotic Physique, his plummeting cultivation was instantly re-established, driven by the Blood Wheel devouring spiritual energy. There were no bottlenecks to speak of whatsoever.
Having already integrated the Chaos Devouring Art into his mind, Su Chen naturally would not let slip this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He immediately began circulating the Chaos Devouring Art, transforming his entire body into a vortex as he began to frantically devour the surroundings.
The devouring energy from all directions was sucked into Su Chen's vortex, pouring endlessly into his body to form a ceaselessly circulating circular vortex in his Dantian.
As the speed of devouring grew faster and faster—
Above Su Chen's head, right where the slaughter sword Blood Wheel had appeared, another circular Blood Wheel unexpectedly condensed. Inside it was a ball of black fog vortex—precisely the Devouring Blood Wheel mentioned by the tower spirit just moments ago.
The black fog vortex within the Devouring Blood Wheel gradually formed a black hole, radiating a terrifying devouring aura whose grade was clearly superior to that of the slaughter sword Blood Wheel.
Twin Blood Wheels: one was the slaughter sword Blood Wheel, and the other was the Devouring Blood Wheel.
Su Chen had never imagined that one day he would actually possess two Blood Wheels.
Just as Su Chen was about to let go, he suddenly discovered that the bloodline within his body seemed to be showing cracks.
What was going on?
Could his bloodline have been sealed by some mysterious force?
How was that possible? Who would seal his bloodline for no reason? Yet sensing the bloodline inside him, there truly was a certain force sealing it, and under the operation of the Chaos Devouring Art, it was beginning to emit cracking sounds.
As the first crack appeared, the second and third seals of the bloodline followed closely behind, until countless cracks spread across its surface like a giant spiderweb.
The overbearing Chaos Devouring Art furiously circulated through every part of his body. The seal could no longer hold out and shattered completely, and the sealed bloodline broke free like wild horses galloping across a ten-thousand-mile battlefield.
A dragon's roar.
An elephant's trumpet.
Roared out from his bloodline simultaneously.
Dragon roar and elephant trumpet.
His bloodline boiled furiously like a pot of boiling water.
Suddenly snapping his eyes open, he watched as his uncontrollable bloodline erupted with nine phantom dragons and nine illusory giant elephants, roaring up at the sky above his head.
"Congratulations, Master, on acquiring the Dragon-Elephant Bloodline, which allows you to condense a third Blood Wheel."
Even though Su Chen had already guessed a hint of the truth, upon hearing the tower spirit's words, he still couldn't help being filled with shock.
Three Blood Wheels?
It was definitely unprecedented, and he believed there would be no one after him either.
Looking across the entire Tianhuang Continent, who else could possibly possess three Blood Wheels at the same time?
Even Su Chen was somewhat dumbfounded. To this day, he still couldn't figure out who on earth had sealed the bloodline in his body, preventing him from condensing the Dragon-Elephant Bloodline.
He did not suppress his bloodline.
Amidst the roaring dragons and trumpeting elephants, accompanied by the violent churning of his bloodline, a third Blood Wheel once again condensed above Su Chen's head.
Shadows of dragons and elephants surfaced within the Blood Wheel. The three Blood Wheels neatly stacked one upon another, and waves of Blood Wheel energy enveloped his entire body.
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 Wheels and a fresh foundation establishment—stacked and covered by three Blood Wheels no less—Su Chen, having returned to the Foundation Establishment Realm, began to advance by leaps and bounds.
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!
His cultivation was even four tiers higher than before. A blessing in disguise, Su Chen could not suppress the joy in his heart.
"Congratulations, Master, on possessing three Blood Wheels."
Standing up, Su Chen felt that his internal injuries had completely healed. The feeling of possessing three Blood Wheels was truly exhilarating; the absolute suppression of the Blood Wheels gave him full confidence that he could sweep through the Foundation Establishment Realm, and even put up a fight against those in the lower tiers of the Virtual Pill Realm.
The Golden Core Realm was further divided into three stages: the Virtual Pill Realm, the Solid Pill Realm, and the Golden Core Realm.
Su Hao was ranked at the Peak Solid Pill Realm.
"Master, let me present you with a welcoming gift."
A writing brush appeared in the tower spirit's hand, which it handed over.
Taking the brush, Su Chen looked at the two characters engraved on the brush handle: *Burial Calamity*. Before Su Chen could speak, the tower spirit took the initiative to explain: "Master, this brush is named the Burial Calamity Brush. Once unleashed, it can forge a restraining force of calamity within a specific spatial range."
"Are there any restrictions?"
"Our realms cannot differ too vastly, and each time the Burial Calamity Brush is used, it consumes a tremendous amount of soul power."
"Understood."
The tower spirit continued, "Master, within the Chaotic Devouring Tower, there are numerous martial arts techniques and treasures. If Master wishes to obtain them, you must continuously grow stronger so that you can acquire what you desire from within the Chaotic Devouring Tower."
"Good."
Turning around, he clenched his fists tightly. His profound eyes were filled with hatred, and waves of murderous intent surged out from Su Chen, resembling an endless primordial fierce beast roaring up at the heavens, eager to devour the entire firmament.
"Su Hao, I will come to the Su Clan to find you. The hatred of the stolen bone and the enmity of the crippled wheel—I will take it all back with interest!"
The Su Clan stood as one of the pinnacle powers of the Eastern Wasteland; even the Panding Imperial Dynasty was nothing more than an ant in their presence.
What he needed most right now was time. With his current circumstances, his cultivation speed would be dozens of times faster than before. He believed that the day of his revenge was not far off.
***
"Bang!"
With a loud crash, the heavy wooden door was fiercely kicked open.
Dozens of people strode in from outside, looking fierce and malevolent—evidently here to pick a fight.
"Young Master, Su Chen hasn't woken up yet. If we barge in like this, won't we be blamed by the Family Head?"
Slap!
The young man fiercely delivered a slap. His gloomy face revealed a hint of cruelty as he sneered coldly, "What utter trash. Su Chen is about to be expelled from the clan anyway; do I still need to care? Su Chen is obviously unwilling to accept reality and is deliberately playing dead. Don't think such petty tricks can fool me."
Su Yang, the son of the Su Clan's Eldest Master Su Xuan, had awakened his Blood Wheel three days ago and successfully achieved Foundation Establishment, becoming the second person among the younger generation of the Su Clan to do so.
The first person to achieve Foundation Establishment had been Su Chen.
Even back when Su Chen's Emperor Bone was stripped away, his talent and strength had still towered over the entire Su Clan.
Su Yang had once acted like a lapdog, trailing behind Su Chen day in and day out, calling him "Elder Brother" with all the servility in the world.
Precisely because of this, seeing Su Chen's Blood Wheel destroyed and his cultivation plummet to the Xiantian Realm made Su Yang feel utterly ecstatic. The reversal of their strengths meant their statuses would swap as well.
He would no longer be that sycophantic lapdog who only knew how to nod and bow; now, he could completely look down upon Su Chen and take back all the 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 driven out of the clan.
"Someone go in and drag Su Chen out. I want to see just how long he can keep up this act."
"Yes!"
No one dared to disobey.
The situation in the Su Clan had clearly changed.
With that once-illustrious Su Chen's Blood Wheel shattered, coupled with the deterrent force of the Su Clan proper, his status had not only plummeted to the abyss, but he was also about to be expelled by the Family Head.
When Su Chen had been riding high, Su Yang was undoubtedly the most flattering of all. But now, that former bootlicking had turned venomous; only by doing this could he soothe the anger and reclaim the dignity in his heart.
As for Su Yang himself, he had successfully achieved Foundation Establishment and would soon be heading to the Su Clan. By then, not to mention these people, even the Family Head would have to treat him with utmost respect.
Before anyone could enter the room—
Creak.
The door was pushed open, and Su Chen walked out from within.
Looking at the dozens of people before him, his expression was icy cold, and his voice leaked a sliver of frost as he said coldly, "All of you, get the hell out."
His Blood Wheel was destroyed and his cultivation had dropped to the Xiantian Realm, yet he still dared to put on airs here?
Su Yang let out a cold snort, his face full of mockery as he sneered, "Su Chen, stop acting so arrogant! Grandfather has already decided to expel you from the family. Right now, you are nothing more than a homeless stray dog. If you kneel before me and beg, perhaps I'll treat you kindly; otherwise, you can imagine the consequences yourself."
His face was plastered with the smugness of a petty villain.
The more he acted like this, the more deliriously happy Su Yang felt inside. He was going to trample Su Chen beneath his feet and humiliate him fiercely.
He would humiliate this former genius of the Su Clan.
Whenever he thought of his past self playing the dog trailing behind this guy's ass, Su Yang couldn't suppress the rage in his heart. Only humiliation could restore his dignity and bring him pleasure.
The dozens of people standing behind Su Yang rolled up their sleeves one by one, looking at the Su Chen before them with vicious glares.
Being able to humiliate the former genius of the clan was an immensely gratifying thing for them.
What they needed to do right now was to suck up to Su Yang so they could reap the greatest benefits and rewards.
Stepping on Su Chen was the only way to gain 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 if your fangs are sharp enough."
Being cursed as a dog in public—