In the vast Chaos Void, only Zhou Ming and his two companions remained in the blink of an eye, along with a battlefield in ruins.
Hongchu spat viciously as he watched the figures fleeing in panic.
"A bunch of cowards!"
They had all run off before he had his fill of fighting.
True Lord Chixiao, in particular, had fled faster than anyone, causing the bolt of Divine Thunder Hongchu had spent so long preparing to strike empty air.
Cangxuan walked over to Zhou Ming, his gaze calm as he looked in the direction they had vanished.
"Fellow Daoist Zhou, you let them go on purpose."
Zhou Ming nodded.
"There's little point in hunting them down."
His goal was clear now: break his shackles as soon as possible, then find all the "Returnees."
These people were difficult to kill, and doing so would take too much effort. Leaving them alive would help spread his reputation instead.
"Reputation?" Hongchu scratched his head, unable to understand.
"The stronger we are, the fewer people will dare provoke us," Cangxuan explained for Zhou Ming.
"And those who truly want to oppose us will weigh their own strength first. They won't dare casually gather a few dozen people and think they can surround and kill us again."
"So we made an example of them to warn the others." Understanding dawned on Hongchu.
Zhou Ming did not pursue the subject.
"We shouldn't linger here. Let's go."
Their figures flickered, and the three melted into the chaos once more, disappearing from sight.
An unknown number of years passed.
Three figures quietly descended into a Chaos Market that had long since fallen into ruin.
It had once been a trading hub for several nearby star domains. Now, only broken walls remained, telling of its former prosperity.
"What information could