Chapter 1: The Divine Emperor Hall
Clearwind City! The Xu Family! The dungeon!
Dim, damp, and reeking of foul odors.
Thick iron chains, as heavy as a grown man's arm, tightly bound a youth, leaving him utterly unable to move.
The youth was named Xu Chen.
The Young Master of the Xu Family.
The number one genius of Clearwind City.
But that was already a thing of the past.
Right now, he had been reduced to a prisoner.
Living a life worse than death.
Having endured half a year of torture, he was now on the brink of death.
His eyelids felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, refusing to open no matter how hard he tried. After a great deal of effort, he finally managed to crack them open.
"Hiss~" Xu Chen drew a sharp breath of pain.
His chest ached intensely.
The blood throughout his body felt as though it had been drained dry.
He knew his life was coming to an end.
Yet he was unwilling to accept this.
Unwilling to die just like this.
His eyes burned with boundless hatred.
"Creeak~" The dungeon door slowly swung open.
Two figures walked in.
A man and a woman.
The man was handsome; the woman was pretty.
Yet, the moment Xu Chen saw the two of them, his previously ashen complexion rapidly flushed with a sickly, morbid red, his entire face twisting in a ferocious, contorted expression.
"Qin... Tai... Qin... Jing..."
His voice was hoarse and low. Like a dying beast.
Looking at the ferocious expression on Xu Chen's face, Qin Tai smiled triumphantly. "Xu Chen, your life is truly tenacious. Half a year has passed, and you've actually managed to cling to your miserable breath until now."
"Qin Tai, why? Why did you do this? Ten years ago, when your father fled to Clearwind City with you three siblings while being hunted down and seriously injured, it was I who took you in! Over all these years, I treated you like a brother. How have I ever wronged you?"
Xu Chen forced his head up, his bloodshot eyes locked onto Qin Tai as he asked the question that had plagued him for half a year.
"Brother?"
Qin Tai burst into loud laughter. "Hahaha! You considered me a brother? If you truly regarded me as a brother, why wouldn't you impart the *True Fire Art* to me? I asked you for it three times—three whole times—and every time you refused."
Xu Chen said, "The *True Fire Art* is my Xu Family's foundational heritage technique. It cannot be practiced by anyone outside the direct bloodline."
"Preposterous sophistry!"
Xu Tai roared savagely, "You couldn't even bear to impart a Yellow Grade high-tier technique to me, yet you still have the nerve to claim you treated me like a brother? From beginning to end, in your eyes, I was nothing more than a dog!"
"Xu Chen, you have good fortune, but the others aren't as lucky as you. That old servant of yours was aged and declining in vitality, and he didn't even last a month before meeting his end in the netherworld... And your personal bodyguard drew his last breath a month ago..."
"Qin Tai, I'll... kill you! I'll... kill you!"
With bloodshot eyes and ignoring his injuries, Xu Chen struggled madly.
The chains rattled violently.
Qin Jing, possessing delicate and pretty features, said calmly, "Xu Chen, you mustn't die easily before the Gu worm eggs in your chest hatch."
Qin Tai sneered, "My sister is right. You must hold on, hold on until the Gu worms in your chest successfully hatch."
With that, he walked up to Xu Chen, staring with burning eyes at the latter's chest.
The flesh on Xu Chen's chest had long since rotted away, faintly revealing a beating heart. Embedded right inside the heart was a black insect egg the size of a thumb.
This black insect egg was continuously devouring Xu Chen's blood.
"Xu Chen, you truly live up to your name as Clearwind City's number one genius. With your Seventh Layer of Qi Condensation cultivation, your vital blood is genuinely potent. The Gu worm hatched from your heart's blood will be at least at the peak of the First Rank once it comes into the world."
"You really are a good person. Before dying, you've even hatched a Gu worm of boundless potential for me. Tell me yourself, how should I thank you?"
Xu Chen was filled with hatred.
He hated his own incompetence for failing to protect his loved ones.
He hated his own softheartedness for taking in a group of ungrateful ingrates.
He hated himself for being blind and misplaced his trust in villains.
And he even hated himself for ever becoming betrothed to that bitch, Qin Qingrou.
Qin Qingrou.
The younger sister of Qin Tai and Qin Jing.
His hatred for Qin Qingrou surpassed even his hatred for Qin Tai.
On that day, when Qin Wei and his son joined outsiders to launch a sneak attack on the members of the Xu Family, he was escorted away by the family elders and was on the verge of breaking through the encirclement. Suddenly, Qin Qingrou appeared and blocked his path.
Qin Qingrou, usually so gentle, had displayed astonishing strength. In her hands, he could not even withstand three moves before being captured alive, reduced to a prisoner and serving as a vessel to incubate Gu worms, enduring a fate worse than death.
After capturing him, Qin Qingrou had coldly dropped a single sentence: "You are too weak, not worthy of being my husband."
Leaving behind those words, she drew her sword and slaughtered the remaining members of the Xu Family.
The Third Elder, the Fifth Elder, Xu Feng, Xu You, Xu Feng... one family member after another died by Qin Qingrou's sword.
As his kin were successively butchered in cold blood, he had passed out from grief. When he finally woke up, he had already been locked away in the dungeon, never to lay eyes on Qin Qingrou again.
Qin Tai stroked his chin, wearing a thoughtful expression, before finally slapping his thigh and saying, "As a token of my gratitude, before you die, I'll tell you a secret: your father, Xu Zhantian, didn't die tragically in the maw of a Monster Beast a year ago. He died at the hands of my master."
Xu Chen's eyes widened.
In his gaze burned the raging flames of hatred.
"Big brother, why waste words with a dead man?"
Qin Jing interrupted Qin Tai.
She stepped forward, took a careful look, and said, "The Gu worm won't hatch until three days from now. Xu Chen, swallow this medicinal pill."
"In your dreams!"
With a single glance, Xu Chen recognized that the pill in Qin Jing's hand was something called a Life-Burning Pill.
This was a pill that forced an increase in vital blood at the terrible cost of burning away one's life force.
Qin Jing was doing this out of fear that he might suddenly drop dead, thereby causing the incubation of the Gu worm to fail at the last hurdle.
"Unappreciative of favors! Eat it whether you want to or not!"
With a chill in her eyes, Qin Jing forcefully pried open Xu Chen's mouth and shoved the Life-Burning Pill straight down his throat.
As the Life-Burning Pill entered his stomach, Xu Chen instantly felt a scorching, burning sensation in his stomach, and his entire being suddenly became much more alert.
His vital blood was also slowly climbing.
His heart, which had already shown signs of failure, received what felt like a shot of adrenaline. It regained its "vitality," beating with even greater force.
Seeing this, the corners of Qin Jing's lips curved into an exquisite arc.
The Life-Burning Pill had worked.
"Big brother, let's go. We'll come back in three days to harvest the Gu worm."
Qin Jing and Qin Tai walked out of the dungeon.
Xu Chen's eyes burned red.
Staring fixedly at those two figures walking out of the dungeon, he let out a beast-like roar from the depths of his throat.
"Qin Jing, Qin Tai, if I don't die, I will slaughter every last member of your clan!"
"Bang!"
The dungeon door slammed heavily shut.
Xu Chen roared in fury.
Over and over again.
Endlessly venting the vital blood surging within his body.
He would rather vent the vital blood in his body dry than let it go to benefit that Gu worm.
He knew not how much time had passed.
Xu Chen finally exhausted his very last shred of strength.
His vision darkened right after.
He plunged directly into pitch-black darkness.
In a hazy, trance-like state.
He beheld a grand and mystical palace.
That palace drifted in the endless void.
The surroundings were pitch-black and devoid of light.
Windless and silent.
Everything seemed as though it had come to a complete standstill.
Only that palace emitted a gentle glow, resembling a lone star shining within the endless void.
Xu Chen fixed his gaze upon it.
He saw that the palace was cast entirely from bronze, exuding a chaotic aura, intertwined with the patterns of cosmic laws.
What caused Xu Chen to draw a sharp gasp of cold air was that the bronze palace was covered from top to bottom with deep gashes left by sabers, spears, swords, and halberds, bearing witness to some unimaginably fierce and tragic battle it had endured.
The palace was even missing a corner, the cut surface clean and smooth as if it had been lopped off by a supreme sharp blade.
"Gulp!"
Xu Chen swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
He took a few steps forward, arriving before the palace. With a creaking sound, the palace doors actually swung open on their own.
Xu Chen stepped back a pace, shouting toward the interior of the palace, "Is anyone in there?"
The interior of the palace was dead silent, with no response.
After shouting several times and receiving no reply, Xu Chen drew a breath and cautiously stepped across the threshold into the palace.
The very instant he crossed into the palace, Xu Chen's gaze was immediately drawn to the rows of ancient, rustic statues standing tall within.
The material of the statues appeared quite ordinary.
Ash-gray.
Devoid of any bright colors.
The facial features of the statues were shrouded in halos of multicolored light.
Making them impossible to clearly discern!
The statues took on various forms!
A Sword Emperor grasping a divine sword, a demon with three heads and six arms, an emperor wearing a crown... a compassionate Buddha... a God Emperor who battled the heavens and fought the earth...
While Xu Chen was examining the statues, wisps of divine consciousness were released from the figures, communicating in silence through midair.
"Ten hundred thousand years have passed; finally, someone has entered the Divine Emperor Hall."
"To think it's a mortal physique; his talent is far too poor..."
"He's about to die."
"If he dies, who knows how many more tens of thousands of years we will have to wait here?"
"Do you really intend to just watch his divine soul dissipate?"
"Whether he lives or dies, what does it have to do with me?"
"He is unworthy of inheriting my legacy."
A wisp of divine consciousness suddenly spoke up: "This old man has been trapped here for one hundred thousand years and I'm long since sick of staying put. If you lot won't save him, I will. I might as well use this opportunity to free myself."
The bronze palace trembled violently.
"Crack~"
The statue resembling a demonic god split open!
"Boom!"
The huge statue exploded!
A ball of black light rushed toward Xu Chen with the speed of lightning.
Xu Chen was too slow to dodge.
---
Chapter 2: The Devouring Emperor Art
Dungeon.
Xu Chen clutched his head, his face contorted in agony.
He knew not how much time had passed.
Only then did the look of pain on his face gradually fade away.
He gasped for air in heavy, ragged breaths.
"The Divine Emperor Hall... the Devouring Emperor... on the verge of death, I actually entered the Divine Emperor Hall and inherited the legacy of the Devouring Emperor."
He was both startled and overjoyed.
"There's hope!"
"Qin Tai, Qin Jing, I said I would wipe out your entire clan!"
His tone was bone-chilling.
Murderous intent flickered in his eyes.
"Right, can I still enter the Divine Emperor Hall?"
He reined in his thoughts, closing his eyes slightly, and could faintly sense the Divine Emperor Hall suspended within the endless void.
He shared a sliver of connection with the Divine Emperor Hall.
Whenever he wished, his spiritual mind could enter the Divine Emperor Hall at will.
"It seems my physical body cannot enter... Is it because the Divine Emperor Hall is too far away from me?"
Although his physical body could not enter, Xu Chen still let out a breath of relief.
"First, recover my spiritual power..."
With a single thought from him.
The *Devouring Emperor Art*, circulate!
An Emperor-grade cultivation technique!
It could devour and refine all forms of energy for one's own use.
In the Profound Sky Continent, cultivation techniques were classified from lowest to highest into: Yellow, Profound, Earth, Heaven, Sage, King, Sovereign, and Emperor.
Each grade was further subdivided into three minor tiers: low, middle, and high.
The foundational heritage technique of the Clearwind City Xu Family was at best merely a Yellow Grade high-tier *True Fire Art*, which had a difference as vast as heaven and earth when compared to the *Devouring Emperor Art*.
In the True Martial Continent, cultivation techniques above the Heaven grade were already exceedingly rare, while Emperor-grade techniques existed only in legends.
The *Devouring Emperor Art* possessed a total of nine layers. At the ninth layer, the *Devouring Emperor Art* could even devour the laws of heaven and earth, and its might was so immense that words failed to describe it.
Although Xu Chen currently had only a preliminary grasp of the first layer, its might was still not to be underestimated.
The moment the *Devouring Emperor Art* was put into circulation, an terrifying suction force instantly erupted from within Xu Chen's body, swallowing and absorbing the ambient spiritual Qi of heaven and earth within the dungeon.
The Gu worm on his chest that was on the verge of hatching suddenly emitted a shrill squeak, letting out a miserable shriek before withering away at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Snap~"
The energy within the Gu worm egg was swallowed dry, turning into fine powder that slowly drifted away and dissipated.
Simultaneously.
The spiritual Qi of heaven and earth outside the dungeon converged, forming a funnel-shaped vortex of spiritual Qi. Boundless spiritual Qi gathered into a stream, crazily pouring into the dungeon.
At this moment.
It was as if an invisible giant mouth existed within the dungeon, frantically and unreservedly whale-swallowing the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth.
"Little sister, look..."
Walking toward the dungeon, Qin Tai was drawn by this commotion. Pointing at the vortex of spiritual Qi hovering above the dungeon, he said in mixed astonishment and joy, "The spiritual Qi of heaven and earth is converging upon it. This kind of commotion..."
"The Gu worm has come into the world."
"This—this commotion... could it be a Beast King-grade Gu worm has hatched?"
"Even if it's not a Beast King-grade Gu worm, the potential of this Gu worm is definitely extraordinary. If I refine it as my natal Gu worm, I can easily become a practitioner in the Qi Condensation Realm."
"Xu Chen's vital blood truly is out of the ordinary."
"Let's go. Enter the dungeon and capture the Gu worm."
The brother and sister were in high spirits, eagerly rushing into the dungeon.
They quickly arrived at the cell where Xu Chen was imprisoned.
Hearing the footsteps, Xu Chen slowly raised his head, his eyes staring with icy coldness at the two figures hurrying over.
"Xu Chen, you actually didn't die?"
Seeing Xu Chen lift his head, Qin Tai was slightly startled. But then he laughed again, "Even this couldn't kill you? Your life is truly tenacious. Perfect. Once you recuperate for a few days, we'll continue using your vital blood to cultivate the Gu worms."
Qin Jing's eyes lit up. "This method is not bad."
Suppressing his rising fury, Xu Chen slowly spoke, "You two siblings are truly vicious."
"Vicious?"
Qin Tai was slightly taken aback, then burst into loud laughter. "The law of the jungle dictates that the strong prey on the weak, Xu Chen. Since you've fallen to this state, don't blame others and curse your fate; if you want to blame someone, blame yourself for being good-for-nothing trash."
"Well said."
Xu Chen nodded silently.
Qin Jing reminded him, "Big brother, why waste breath on him? Hurry up and collect the Gu worm."
Prompted by Qin Jing, Qin Tai looked toward Xu Chen's chest. Not looking was one thing, but at this single glance, he stared in stunned disbelief, discovering to his utter shock that the skin on Xu Chen's chest, which had previously been ulcerated and rotting, had now returned to as good as new.
He blanked for a moment, and his expression abruptly shifted as he shouted, "Xu Chen, where is my Gu worm? Where have you hidden my Gu worm? Hand it over immediately, or else I'll make your life worse than death."
Up to this moment, he still had not realized the crisis. He assumed Xu Chen had hidden the Gu worm away.
With a cold look at Qin Tai, Xu Chen abruptly opened his mouth and inhaled, actually swallowing the spiritual Qi vortex above the dungeon directly into his stomach.
"Make my life worse than death? Use my vital blood to cultivate Gu worms?"
Xu Chen grabbed the chains with both hands and gave a fierce pull. With a loud crash, the iron chains snapped in two on cue.
Qin Jing and Qin Tai turned pale with fright.
The two of them instinctively retreated step after step.
"So you know how to be scared too?"
Xu Chen walked slowly toward the pair.
"Whoosh!"
A streak of black light suddenly shot toward Xu Chen.
With extreme speed.
In the blink of an eye.
The black light was less than three inches from Xu Chen's glabella.
Just as the black light was about to pierce Xu Chen's glabella, a powerful devouring force abruptly erupted from between his brows.
The black light felt as though it had sunk into quicksand.
It came to a dead stop three inches away from Xu Chen's glabella.
"Squeak, squeak, squeak..."
The thumb-sized black Gu worm struggled violently.
Issuing a terrified cry.
The smile froze on Qin Tai's face.
He had assumed his sudden sneak attack would catch Xu Chen completely off guard, but he never imagined that not only would he fail to harm Xu Chen, but the Gu worm would actually be restrained by the other party.
Under Qin Tai's terrified gaze, Xu Chen reached out his right hand and clamped a grip around the Gu worm. "Shamanic Gu arts—mere parlor tricks."
With those words spoken.
With a sharp snap, the black Gu worm was directly crushed to pieces by him.
Seeing the Gu worm killed, Qin Tai suffered a backlash. Letting out a miserable shriek, he retreated in terror, his face drained of all color.
"You go die as well!"
Xu Chen spread his fingers wide, a terrifying suction force erupting from his palm. Qin Tai's body immediately lost control as he flew toward Xu Chen.
"Snap~"
Xu Chen seized Qin Tai by the throat.
Terror flashed in Qin Tai's eyes, and he hastily begged for mercy, "No, don't! Xu Chen, don't kill me. My sister is your fiancée..."
With an indifferent gaze, Xu Chen remained unmoved. The *Devouring Emperor Art* circulated, and Qin Tai watched in absolute horror as the vital blood and spiritual Qi within his own body poured uncontrollably into Xu Chen's palm.
Within the span of a breath, Qin Tai's body had already withered and shriveled, ultimately turning into a dried-up corpse.
Xu Chen's aura grew a fraction more profound.
"Qin Jing, you can't escape."
Watching Qin Jing stumble as she fled in a panic, Xu Chen said coldly.
"Xu Chen, how dare you—how dare you kill my brother! You—you're dead, you're dead for sure..."
Fleeing for her life, Qin Jing silently swore in her heart that she would make Xu Chen suffer a fate worse than death.
The light grew brighter.
She finally fled out of the dungeon.
Her heart involuntarily eased a bit.
"Eldest Miss, what has caused you such panic?"
A group of guards arrived at the sound, and the guard captain asked with concern.
"Xu Chen has broken free! Quick, kill him! No, capture him—I want to cripple his cultivation, break his four limbs, and make him wish he were dead."
Qin Jing said with a chilling voice.
"What?!"
"Xu Chen broke free?"
The guards were all startled upon hearing this.
They cast their gazes inward one after another, only to see a figure slowly walking out from the dim dungeon.
That figure was the one they were most familiar with: their former young master, Xu Chen.
"There's no need to panic, everyone! Even if Xu Chen has broken free, how much of his original strength can he possibly wield?"
A scarred guard sneered hideously.
With a crisp metallic clang, the saber at his waist was drawn. The very next moment, carrying a shrill whistling wind, the long blade slashed fiercely toward Xu Chen as he stepped out of the dungeon.
Xu Chen raised his right hand.
And flicked his finger.
"Clang!"
Sparks flew in all directions.
The sound of metal clashing rang out right after.
The long blade was knocked flying from the guard's grip, and the scarred guard himself was sent reeling backward through the air.
The spinning saber slammed with a heavy *thud* into the stone wall, cracks spreading outward from the impact.
As for the scarred guard, his head collided squarely against the stone wall, his skull fracturing, blood pouring from his seven orifices as he dropped dead on the spot.
Before the corpse of the scarred guard had even finished its death throes, the rest of the crowd remained frozen in shock.
---
Chapter 3: A Great Slaughter
"How did Guard Yang fly backward?"
"What did Xu Chen just do?"
"I don't know, I didn't see clearly."
"Guard Yang isn't moving. Is he alright?"
Everything had happened far too quickly.
The crowd simply hadn't had time to react before it was all already over, completely failing to catch sight of what had transpired.
Qin Jing retreated without a sound.
Li Shan, the captain of the guards, furrowed his brow, his expression turning solemn. He was a practitioner at the peak of the Seventh Layer of Qi Condensation, sharing the exact same realm as Xu Chen, but right now, he felt immense pressure emanating from the latter.
Furthermore, he felt that Xu Chen at this moment had changed—he had become unfamiliar, practically like a completely different person from the young master in his memories.
Xu Chen took a step forward, his gaze as cold as a blade falling upon Qin Jing. "Qin Jing must die today. Anyone who dares to block me will be shown no mercy!"
"Arrogant! Take him down!"
Guard Captain Li Shan drew his long saber and pointed it forward.
A guard standing closest to Xu Chen lunged forward in a stride, sneering hideously, "Xu Chen, do you still fail to recognize reality? Right now, you are nothing more than a prisoner."
With those words spoken.
He wound up his fist and smashed it toward Xu Chen.
This punch carried a fierce, violent gale as it targeted the bridge of Xu Chen's nose, intending to smash Xu Chen's entire face to pulp.
The fist had not yet arrived, but the wind was already there.
The fist wind ruffled a stray strand of black hair on Xu Chen's forehead, revealing his icy eyes.
"Rebelling against your master—a crime unforgivable! Die!"
Xu Chen raised his hand, his palm facing forward, meeting the oncoming whistling fist head-on.
"Snap!"
Fist and palm met, and violent wind churned.
Just as that guard prepared to retract his punch and launch a follow-up attack, his expression abruptly shifted. His right fist had actually been firmly suctioned against Xu Chen's palm; no matter how hard he tried to pull back, he could not withdraw it.
And what caused his expression to undergo a drastic change... was that an astonishing devouring force was actually emanating from Xu Chen's palm. The spiritual power and vital blood within his own body rushed away like a breached floodgate, flowing out madly.
"No, don't..."
He shrieked in terror.
Yet in the span of a single breath, his cries grew weak to the point of being inaudible.
The expressions of the others underwent drastic changes as well.
Terror washed over their faces.
For that guard had, at this very moment, withered into a shriveled, dried-up corpse.
Utterly devoid of life.
"Magi... sorcery..."
A guard stammered tremulously.