The figure in front of him fell silent, still gripping the broken chopsticks that now lay lifeless in his hand. Doubt flickered in his eyes. For a brief moment, he caught something in Tian Chen’s gaze—not just anger, but a deadly calm. And that was enough to make his heart race. “Dingwei, don’t cause a scene. Come back at once!” One of the disciples from the Holy Light Valley shouted. His voice wasn’t loud, but firm enough to signal that they didn’t want to draw any more attention. It turned out the sturdy young man’s name was Dingwei. He slowly stood up, yet the look he gave Tian Chen held a killing intent he didn’t bother to hide. “Kid, you’d better watch your neck. Otherwise, the moment you leave this city, you might lose it.” The threat was delivered as he turned around. His tone was low, but filled with murderous intent. Yet Tian Chen only glanced at him briefly before beginning to eat his meal. Sitting calmly, he ignored the conversations around him, as if the world was not

At night, the city of Chaozhou became eerily quiet. All residents stayed inside their homes with the doors tightly shut. They were terrified—each night, the bandits would appear. They didn’t just loot valuables, but also abducted young women, teenagers, and even newborn babies. The streets that were usually crowded with merchants now looked like a dead city. Hanging lamps along the main road remained lit, but their dim glow couldn’t chase away the suffocating tension that filled the air. The night breeze seemed to carry whispers of fear from behind every locked home. Tian Chen stepped out from his residence. As he exited, five city guards of Chaozhou were already waiting for him. The five guards stood upright in a neat formation. Their faces showed fatigue and restrained alertness. One of them, dressed slightly better than the rest, stepped forward. “Young master, we were ordered to deliver a message from the city lord. Before the Elders from the Super Sects arrive, he asks whethe

Yande and Wufeng immediately jumped toward Dingwei and caught his staggering body. They stared at Tian Chen with wide eyes. They couldn’t believe it—Dingwei, with his strong body and heavy weapon, had been taken down by a single kick. Dingwei opened his mouth and spat out blood. Several of his teeth were broken. He quickly pulled out a few healing pills and swallowed them. Although the bleeding stopped, he couldn’t hide the shame and fury boiling inside him. His gaze darkened. He looked at Tian Chen with burning eyes. “Tian Chen, I underestimated you. But now, that won’t happen again. I’m going to fight you seriously!” Tian Chen stretched out his arms—his movements slow and calm. Yet the aura around him began to tremble faintly, like the soft breath of a hidden power. His smile didn’t fade, and his tone remained flat, but it carried a piercing mockery. “I haven’t been serious either. That was just a bit of stretching. Unfortunately, even the three of you couldn’t make my warm-up

The city soldiers were already trembling in fear. Not because the enemy outnumbered them, but because of a far more terrifying truth—they couldn’t sense the cultivation realm of the bandit leader. His power level felt like an invisible wall, absorbing their perception and sending chills through their bodies. Some of them swallowed hard, while others gripped their weapons tighter, their knuckles turning white. Seeing the soldiers starting to fall into fear, the bandit leader grinned widely from atop his horse. His smile wasn’t one of joy, but of dominance. He knew that fear was stronger than a thousand weapons. “I know what you’re feeling. Now, rather than fighting and losing your lives in vain, it’s better if you obey us. Hand over all the young men and women, and even the babies in Chaozhou City!” The words flowed out calmly, but their meaning was more wicked than any robbery they had ever committed. That sentence struck the soldiers like a whip, breaking through their fear with

Tian Chen hissed softly. There was no time to defend. He pulled all of his golden flames to the extreme. His Qi spun wildly inside his dantian, then flowed throughout his body, especially into the black sword engraved with a golden dragon. “NIRVANA SWORD SLASH!” Tian Chen’s voice shook the night sky. Five Golden Dragons appeared above Tian Chen’s body. But this time, they weren’t just ordinary Qi-formed dragons. His golden flames fused with them, cloaking the dragons and making them appear like celestial beasts blazing in the dark night. RHOOAAR!!! The five Golden Dragons roared in unison, their cries shaking the air. They shot out like lightning, forming a spiral formation that surrounded the bandit leader from five different directions. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!! Deafening explosions erupted. Waves of energy swept across the entire area. Rocks shattered, trees were uprooted, the ground rose and cracked. The explosions hit in all directions—enemy or ally, it didn’t matter