The clamor of Azure Flame City turned entirely into boundless terror after news of Qin Hao's death spread.
Within a single day, news that the Azure Cloud Sect's eldest senior brother had been slain in one move by an unknown youth in blue, who had declared he would slaughter every heavenly chosen at the Heavenly Chosen Assembly, swept through the capital like a gale, even reaching the Azure Flame Kingdom's neighboring vassal states and secluded sects.
The entire Azure Cloud Sect flew into a rage.
The sect master personally emerged from seclusion, his pressure at the Profound Understanding Realm seventh layer enveloping the entire sect. He ordered the mountain gates sealed and dispatched several elders to Azure Flame City, swearing to capture and kill Qin Hao's murderer to uphold the sect's dignity.
The two great sects, Blazing Fire Valley and Water Moon Pavilion, along with the top aristocratic clans such as the Wang Household, Li Household, and Zhang Household, were all alarmed.
Every heavenly chosen about to attend the Heavenly Chosen Assembly was even more furious.
Yan Xiao, a core disciple of Blazing Fire Valley said to be capable of burning mountains and boiling seas, was at the Mystic Understanding Realm first layer. After hearing the news, he publicly declared that he would grind that nameless madman's bones to dust and scatter his ashes at the Heavenly Chosen Assembly to avenge Qin Hao.
Wang Teng, the Wang Household's young master, carried the bloodline of a divine beast from High Antiquity and was hailed as the genius most likely to surpass Qin Hao. He directly announced that, at the martial arena three days later, he would make that brat who knew neither the height of heaven nor the depth of earth pay a terrible price.
At the Su Household's estate.
As Su Qingyue listened to the news brought by the servants, her exquisite face filled with shock.
"It was him... it must have been him..."
The teacup in her hand trembled slightly, and she could not help recalling the figure before Black Wind Ridge, clad in blue and as detached as an immortal.
He had annihilated Black Sha Tiger and dozens of bandit cultivators in one move, his presence unfathomable, like an ancient god descending into the world.
Thinking back now, it could hardly have been more natural for that senior to slay Qin Hao at the Azure Cloud Inn.
"Miss, is that senior really going to the Heavenly Chosen Assembly? Won't it be too dangerous for him to face all the heavenly chosen and sects of the Azure Flame Kingdom alone?" the maid beside her asked worriedly.
Su Qingyue shook her head gently, awe flickering in her beautiful eyes. "Dangerous? In that senior's eyes, there is probably nothing in this world that could make him feel threatened anymore. This so-called Heavenly Chosen Assembly and its heavenly chosen are nothing to him but a farce he can wipe away with a flick of his hand."
She had already decided that she would attend the Heavenly Chosen Assembly three days later and witness that invincible senior's bearing with her own eyes.
Meanwhile, the Azure Flame Kingdom's imperial family was also alarmed.
Deep within the palace, the ruler of the Azure Flame Kingdom, a veteran expert at the Profound Understanding Realm ninth layer who had spent centuries in seclusion, slowly opened his eyes. His gaze pierced the layers of palace walls toward the Azure Cloud Inn, his eyes filled with gravity.
"An unknown expert, so young, slaying someone in the Profound Understanding Realm in one move... with such strength, he must be at least a Grotto Heaven Realm mighty figure!"
"When did such a person appear in my Azure Flame Kingdom?"
The ruler pondered briefly before finally ordering that members of the imperial family were not to take part in the disputes at the Heavenly Chosen Assembly. They were to remain spectators throughout and show no disrespect whatsoever to the youth in blue.
He knew very well that a Grotto Heaven Realm mighty figure was already beyond anything a mortal dynasty could afford to provoke. Even the slightest anger from such a person could reduce the entire Azure Flame Kingdom to ash.
For a time, undercurrents surged throughout Azure Flame City.
Some felt awe, some anger, some fear, and some anticipation.
Everyone's eyes focused on the martial arena in the city center three days hence.
Yet Lin Chen, the instigator of this entire upheaval, remained as calm as drifting clouds in a gentle breeze.
He settled in a secluded courtyard in Azure Flame City, neither deliberately concealing his whereabouts nor paying attention to the uproar outside. He merely sat quietly in the courtyard, experiencing the atmosphere of the mortal world that he had not tasted for a hundred thousand years.
To him, the so-called Heavenly Chosen Assembly and the various sects were merely a diversion when he was bored.
A hundred thousand years ago, he had already reached the absolute pinnacle. Nothing in the world could stir even the slightest ripple in his heart.
Three days passed in a flash.
That day, the sky was clear, the air fresh, and sunlight shone everywhere.
The martial arena in the center of Azure Flame City was already a sea of people, packed so tightly that not a drop of water could pass through.
The arena covered a thousand mu and had been built by the Azure Flame Kingdom at the cost of countless Spirit Stones. Defensive formations inscribed into its ground could withstand a Profound Understanding Realm expert's full-force attack.
The stands surrounding the arena were crammed with cultivators from every direction, numbering several hundred thousand.
The elders of the three great sects, the patriarchs of the major aristocratic clans, relatives of the Azure Flame Kingdom's imperial family, and the city's prominent and powerful figures had all arrived.
Everyone awaited the main event of the day-would the mysterious youth in blue who had slain Qin Hao truly dare to come?
"He's here! He's here! Yan Xiao from Blazing Fire Valley is here!"
A stir swept through the crowd as a group of cultivators in fitted red garments strode into the center of the arena.
The young man leading them was tall and arrogant-looking, flames swirling around him like a fire god descended to earth. He was none other than Blazing Fire Valley's foremost heavenly chosen, Yan Xiao.
His cultivation had already reached the Mystic Understanding Realm first layer peak, and his presence was even stronger than Qin Hao's had been in life.
"That's Wang Teng from the Wang Household! His bearing really is extraordinary! I heard he has already awakened a trace of the Black Tortoise bloodline. His body is incomparably powerful, and he's practically invincible among his peers!"
Another figure walked out slowly. The young man wore splendid robes and had a stern face, a faint dark halo surrounding him. With every step, the ground trembled slightly. He was the Wang Household's young master, Wang Teng.
Following close behind was Water Moon Pavilion's holy maiden, Bai Ling Xi.
She wore a long white dress, her beauty exquisite and her bearing ethereal. Her cultivation had likewise reached the Mystic Understanding Realm first layer, and she was the fairy of countless Azure Flame Kingdom cultivators' dreams.
Besides them, more than twenty heavenly chosen from the great aristocratic clans and sects stood in the arena, each with a powerful presence, their cold eyes fixed on the entrance as they awaited Lin Chen's arrival.
"Does that madman dare to come or not? Don't tell me he got scared and secretly ran away?"
"I'd say he probably got scared! He wants to just walk away after killing Qin Hao? Nothing in this world comes that cheaply!"
"If he dares come today, he'll die without a burial place! With so many heavenly chosen joining forces, even a Profound Understanding Realm third layer expert would have to retreat three leagues!"
Discussion rose and fell throughout the stands. Most people believed Lin Chen would not dare appear.
Just then, a calm voice slowly resounded throughout the arena.
"Were you waiting for me?"
The voice was not loud, yet it reached every person's ears clearly, like the resonant voice of the Great Dao, making their souls tremble faintly.
Everyone abruptly raised their heads and looked toward the arena entrance.
A figure clad in blue came walking slowly toward them.
Lin Chen still wore that plain blue robe, his posture straight as a pine, his handsome face calm. He released no presence at all as he walked step by step along the arena's stone-paved path.
Yet with every step he took, the formations throughout the arena trembled faintly, as though submitting to him.
The Spiritual Qi between heaven and earth gathered toward him involuntarily, forming streams of visible spiritual mist that circled his body.
He was clearly only an ordinary youth, yet every one of the hundreds of thousands of cultivators present felt awe rising from the depths of their souls.
The formerly clamorous arena fell deathly silent in an instant.
A falling pin could have been heard.
Every heavenly chosen's expression changed at once.
The pupils of Yan Xiao, Wang Teng, Bai Ling Xi, and the others contracted sharply, and a trace of fear rose involuntarily in their hearts.
They could clearly sense that the youth before them gave off not the slightest fluctuation of Spiritual Qi, yet facing him felt like facing an endless starry sky, unfathomable and impossible to fathom.
"Are you the madman who killed Qin Hao?"
Yan Xiao spoke first, forcibly suppressing his fear as he shouted sternly. The flames around him surged, turning into a raging blaze that swept in every direction.
He wanted to overwhelm Lin Chen with his imposing presence and regain the initiative.
Lin Chen swept an indifferent glance over him, as though looking at a noisy ant. "Qin Hao? Nothing but a bug I crushed in passing."
A bug he had crushed in passing?
The entire arena erupted!
Qin Hao had been the Azure Flame Kingdom's foremost heavenly chosen, yet in Lin Chen's mouth, he was merely a bug crushed in passing!
What arrogance!
"Insolence!"
Wang Teng roared angrily, dark light blazing around him as a phantom Black Tortoise faintly appeared. "Today, I will carry out heaven's will and suppress an arrogant wretch like you!"
"Carry out heaven's will?"
An indifferent smile curved Lin Chen's lips. "You think the likes of you are worthy?"
As his words fell, he lifted his foot lightly and took one step forward.
There were no earth-shaking phenomena, no boundless, overwhelming pressure.
Yet that single step abruptly froze the space throughout the arena!
The air stood still, Spiritual Qi stopped flowing, and even time seemed to slow countless times over.
Yan Xiao, Wang Teng, Bai Ling Xi, and every other heavenly chosen instantly froze in place, unable to move, expressions of utter terror appearing on their faces.
They wanted to circulate Spiritual Qi, activate their cultivation methods, and dodge, only to discover that their bodies, souls, and cultivation had all been restrained by an invisible force. They could not even move a finger.
Like specimens pinned in place, they could only watch helplessly and await death's arrival.
What... what power is this?
I can't move! All my Spiritual Qi has frozen!
Help! Let me go!
The heavenly chosen screamed frantically inside, yet they could not make a sound, their faces covered in despair.
Those in the stands were even more frightened, trembling all over, their faces as pale as paper.
They could see no attack and no technique, only every heavenly chosen in the arena frozen in place like lambs awaiting slaughter.
Such means had already surpassed their understanding!
This was not a battle between cultivators. This was a god crushing mortals!
The faces of the Azure Cloud Sect's elders were now hideous, their hearts filled with terror.
They had originally intended to act and avenge Qin Hao, but only now did they understand that the gulf between them and Lin Chen was like that between a firefly and the bright moon, an ant and a divine mountain. There was simply no comparison.
Seated in the imperial stands, the Azure Flame Kingdom's ruler felt his pupils contract sharply as towering waves surged through his heart.
This... this isn't the Grotto Heaven Realm! This is... the King Realm! Or even higher!
After a hundred thousand years, an unparalleled mighty figure at the King Realm or above has finally appeared within the Azure Flame Kingdom!
He was thankful he had made the correct decision earlier and kept the imperial family's members out of the dispute. Otherwise, the imperial family would surely have been destroyed today.
Su Qingyue stood in the Su Household's stands, her beautiful eyes filled with awe and worship.
She had known that once that senior acted, it would shatter stone and startle the heavens.
Before him, these so-called heavenly chosen were nothing but dust.
Lin Chen stood quietly in place, his gaze sweeping over the more than twenty heavenly chosen frozen in the arena, his tone as indifferent as ever.
"I said that today, I would slaughter every heavenly chosen."
As his words fell, he gently raised one finger and lightly pointed ahead.
"Hum-!"
An exceedingly faint hum resounded through heaven and earth.
There was no golden Sword Qi, no firestorm, only an invisible force of chaos bursting from his fingertip and instantly sweeping across the entire arena.
This power contained the Great Dao of Chaos condensed a hundred thousand years ago, transcending every principle in the world.
"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"
A string of soft sounds rang out.
The bodies of the more than twenty heavenly chosen in the arena, including Yan Xiao, Wang Teng, and Bai Ling Xi, shuddered simultaneously.
Their cultivation, Dao foundations, souls, and bodies all disintegrated beneath the cleansing force of chaos, turning into the most primordial Spiritual Qi and dissipating between heaven and earth.
There was no blood, no screaming, no horrific death.
Only an instant.
Every heavenly chosen of the Azure Flame Kingdom's younger generation was crippled!
Their cultivation was completely lost, and they were reduced to mortals!
From heaven's favored children high above the clouds, they became cripples inferior even to ordinary martial artists!
This was ten thousand times crueler than killing them outright!
The restraining force dissipated, and all the heavenly chosen collapsed limply to the ground. Feeling the emptiness where their Spiritual Qi had been and their utterly shattered Dao foundations, their faces filled with despair, devastation, and anguish worse than death.
"No! My cultivation! My Dao foundation!"
"I won't accept this! I'm Blazing Fire Valley's heavenly chosen! I'm its future valley master! I can't become a cripple!"
"Why... why would you do this to me..."
Piercing wails rose from the arena, heart-rending and enough to make one's scalp crawl.
The entire arena was deathly silent.
Hundreds of thousands of cultivators froze in place, their minds blank, utterly unable to think.
One move.
Just one move.
More than twenty heavenly chosen of the Azure Flame Kingdom had all been crippled!
With such means and such strength, calling him an expert was no longer enough!
He was a god!
He was a truly invincible god!
The Azure Cloud Sect elders' legs gave way, and they dropped straight to their knees, trembling all over, without even the courage to raise their heads.
They knew the Azure Cloud Sect was completely finished.
Its eldest senior brother was dead, its heavenly chosen all crippled, and its prestige had plummeted a thousand fathoms. From this day onward, there would no longer be a place for the Azure Cloud Sect in the Azure Flame Kingdom.
The Azure Flame Kingdom's ruler slowly rose and bowed deeply to Lin Chen in the arena, his voice respectful to the utmost. "The ruler of the Azure Flame Kingdom pays his respects to the exalted immortal!"
The ruler of a kingdom willingly lowered his status and addressed Lin Chen as an exalted immortal!
With the ruler taking the lead, the hundreds of thousands of cultivators in the stands, regardless of status or strength, all fell to their knees and shouted in unison:
"We pay our respects to the exalted immortal!"
"The exalted immortal is invincible!"
"May the exalted immortal endure through the ages!"
The waves of sound shook the heavens and rang through the clouds, making all of Azure Flame City tremble faintly.
Lin Chen's gaze swept over the kneeling crowd, his expression unchanged.
Whether they knelt in worship or held him in awe, it was all meaningless to him.
His gaze pierced Azure Flame City's walls and turned toward the more distant horizon.
There lay a vaster expanse, stronger sects, and higher worlds.
To him, the Azure Flame Kingdom was ultimately only an insignificant starting point.
"The Azure Flame Kingdom is too small."
Lin Chen murmured softly, his voice drifting on the wind into every person's ears.
As his words fell, he lifted his foot lightly, and his figure slowly rose into the air, his blue robe fluttering like a banished immortal descending into the mortal world.
An invisible force supported his body, carrying him toward the horizon.
He wielded no Law Treasure and employed no cultivation method. Relying solely on his own Great Dao, he could walk through the air, transcending heaven and earth.
"The exalted immortal is leaving!"
"Exalted immortal, please stay!"
Everyone looked up at the figure in azure robes gradually receding into the distance, their eyes filled with reluctance and awe.
Lin Chen did not look back. His figure soon vanished into the clouds, leaving only a legend of invincibility in Azure Flame City and in everyone's hearts.
His invincible strike at Black Wind Ridge, his single sword strike that slew a heaven's chosen at the Azure Cloud Inn, his crippling of all the mighty contenders on the martial training grounds.
In just a few short days, Lin Chen's name had become a supreme legend throughout the Azure Flame Kingdom.
By now, Lin Chen had already crossed tens of millions of li of territory and reached the edge of an even vaster continent.
He looked up. Clouds and mist swirled ahead, immortal light shone over all, and immortal mountains floating in the air loomed in and out of sight, exuding a formidable presence that made hearts tremble.
There lay the true world of cultivation-the Central Heaven Continent.
Countless sects from High Antiquity, primordial aristocratic clans, and ancient inheritances were all entrenched here.
The Central Heaven Continent was the stage for the strong, the true holy land of cultivation.
A river of stars swirled in Lin Chen's eyes, and a faint smile lifted the corners of his lips.
"A hundred thousand years of signing in, invincible the moment I emerged."
"Central Heaven Continent, here I come."
"From this day forth, throughout All Heavens and Myriad Worlds, no one will withstand even a single exchange with me, Lin Chen!"
His voice rang through the skies, piercing layer upon layer of clouds and mist.
A presence unrivaled beneath heaven erupted from him, surging straight into the nine heavens and shaking All Heavens!
His road of invincibility had only just truly begun.