All Chapters of THE FATE-STEALER’S ASCENSION: STRIPPING THE HERO BARE: Chapter 11
- Chapter 20
146 chapters
Chapter 11 Who Is the Hidden Bride?
The moonlight filtered through the canopy of the Jade Pine Forest, casting long, skeletal shadows across the mossy ground. Jian Chen didn't stop to admire the scenery. He moved with a predatory silence, his violet irises reflecting the dying embers of the distant Phoenix Festival. Beside him, Fubune kept pace, her breath barely audible. "Master, you mentioned the 'bride' in your note to Lin Fan. Is she really our next stop? The capital is heavily fortified this time of year," Fubune asked, her voice tight with a mixture of fatigue and morbid curiosity. "Not yet, Fubune. A hero needs more than just a girl to win. He needs a foundation that’s pure, untainted by the filth of the world. Tomorrow is the summer solstice," Jian Chen replied, a low, vibrant hum in his chest where the stolen energies of the Pearl and the Lotus churned in harmony. "The Greenwood Sect. The Sacred Spring Ritual." "The cleansing?" Fubune wiped a stray streak of blood from her temple. "I heard that the Patriarch
Chapter 12 Beauty Hides a Rotting Secret
The wind bit at Jian Chen’s face as they crested the final ridge overlooking the Azure Cloud Sect. From this height, the sect looked like a sprawling, white-veined marble parasite clinging to the side of the mountain. It was beautiful, tranquil, and utterly rotting beneath its gilded surface. Jian Chen reigned in his horse, the beast’s breath blooming in the frigid air like white smoke. "You're going back in there? Master, that's not just a gamble. That’s a suicide pact with a smile on its face," Fubune said, her horse pulling up beside his. She adjusted her hood, her eyes fixed on the distant spires. "They have the scent of your 'sins' all over the border. Every sentry from the Outer Gate to the Inner Court has your portrait pinned to their spear-tip." "Reputation is just a story told by people who are too scared to change the ending, Fubune," Jian Chen replied, his voice a low, lethal vibration. He didn't look at her; his eyes were locked on the massive,
Chapter 13 Is Your Soul Pure Silver?
"So, let me get this straight," Jian Chen said, his boots crunching against the frost-bitten gravel of the mountain pass. "The great 'Venerable Ming' won’t even open the door unless I prove my soul is as shiny as a polished silver coin?""That’s the legend, Master," Fubune replied, her breath hitching as the air grew thinner and colder. She pulled her tattered cloak tighter, looking up at the jagged, snow-capped spire that pierced the grey clouds like a god’s finger. "They say the Ascendant Peak is sentient. It judges every step. If it smells a drop of malice, the mist turns into glass and shreds you before you reach the first shrine."Jian Chen let out a sharp, jagged laugh. "Sentient? Malice? People love to personify things they don't understand to make themselves feel important. It's not a judge, Fubune. It's a security system with a fancy title.""You sound remarkably confident for a man currently carrying enough 'malice' to drown the Jade Empire," she noted, glancing at his viole
Chapter 14 Something Evil Swallows the Valley
The Moonlight Valley didn't deserve its name tonight. Usually, the pale light of the crescent moon would bathe the jade-colored pagodas of the Moonlight Cult in a serene, silver glow. It was a place of meditation, of quiet sages and peaceful scholars. But as Jian Chen watched from the high ridge, the valley was churning with a thick, oily black mist that smelled of wet fur and raw slaughter."He’s ready, Master," Fubune whispered, her hand tightening on a pair of binoculars salvaged from a merchant raid. "Scarclaw is just waiting for the signal. He’s gathered at least three hundred shadow-wolves and four venom-drakes. The perimeter guards won't even have time to scream."Jian Chen leaned back against a pine tree, his violet eyes glowing with a dark, predatory amusement. The [Guardian Rune] on his arm pulsed with a rhythmic, heavy beat, synchronized with the terror he was about to unleash. "How’s the Sect Master doing? Old Chen usually likes to do his evening prayers around now, doesn'
Chapter 15 Where Marble Gods Breathe Fire
The Imperial Capital didn't just sleep; it breathed with a rhythmic, golden arrogance that made Jian Chen’s skin itch. From the height of the Star-Gazer’s Ridge, the city looked like a sprawled deity of marble and light, guarded by walls infused with ancient arrays. Every gate was a mouth of fire, and every tower was an eye that never blinked. The atmosphere was thick with the scent of burning cedar and the distant, rhythmic chanting of temple monks."Look at all that waste," Jian Chen whispered, his fingers tracing the jagged edge of the [Guardian Rune] on his forearm. The violet light in his eyes flickered, mirroring the dying torches of the merchant districts below. "All this gold, all this history, and not a single soul down there realizes that their foundations are currently being eaten by moths.""The security at the Liu Estate is twice what we estimated, Master," Fubune said, stepping out from the shadow of a gnarled pine. She held a scroll of architectural diagrams, her eyes s
Chapter 16 Playing the Fool, Stealing the Crown
Jian Chen looked at the pendant, his pulse quickening. He could feel the resonance between the stone and his own [System]. It wasn't just jade; it was a vessel of condensed fate. It was the compass to Lin Fan’s birthplace, and the only reason the protagonist was currently surviving his streak of bad luck."It’s a beautiful piece," Jian Chen remarked, his gaze lingering a fraction too long on the stone. "But look at it. The shock-array has cracked the mounting. If you don't secure it with a spiritual seal, the energy will dissipate before you reach the palace.""What? Can you... can you fix it?" she asked, her desperation clouding her logic. She handed the pendant to him without a second thought, her trust fostered by the 'heroic' image he had meticulously crafted."I can try," Jian Chen said, taking the stone. The moment his fingers closed over the jade, a massive wave of golden warmth surged through his arm. The [Destiny Usurper System] erupted into a manic, clanging frenzy in his mi
Chapter 17 The Gate to Heavenly Secrets
The mist at the summit of Mount Celeste didn't just hang in the air; it vibrated with a holy, golden frequency. Below, the valley was a sea of clouds, hiding the world of mortals and their messy wars. But up here, at the gates of the Heavenly Pond, everything was supposed to be quiet. Clean. Sacred. Jian Chen stood at the base of the final stairs, his dark robes looking like an ink blot on a white silk canvas. "I’m telling you, Master, the air up here is too thin. It makes my head spin," Fubune whispered, her hand tightening on the hilt of a hidden dagger. She looked at the long line of pilgrims—young, wide-eyed aspirants from noble families, all waiting for their turn to be purified by the pond. "They look so... hopeful. It almost makes me sick to my stomach." "Hope is a disease, Fubune. And the Heavenly Pond is the place where they come to get a temporary cure," Jian Chen replied, his voice a low, lethal vibration. He adjusted his collar, feeling the [Guardian Rune] on his arm hum
Chapter 18 Fate is for the Weak
"Stand back, Pops!" Fubune yelled, tossing the smoke-charms into the monks' feet. "It's part of the process! He's 'cleaning' the vessel! Look! The impurities are coming out!"The "impurities" were actually the distilled spiritual luck of every aspirant behind them, but the frantic crowd was too scared to know the difference. Jian Chen’s head snapped back as a massive, golden stream of Qi began to pour from the water into his chest. His veins turned gold, and then a deep, dark violet as his [Sinner’s Remnant] devoured the "purity" and converted it into pure, unadulterated power.[Siphon Status: 30%... 60%... 95%...]AARGH! Jian Chen roared, his aura expanding until it shattered every window in the pagoda. He felt his bottleneck in his Dantian start to groan. It wasn't a snap this time; it was a detonation. His internal Qi reservoirs didn't just grow; they became oceans. The [Spatial Affinity Mastery] coupled with this surge made his
Chapter 19 Where Sound Goes to Die
"Watch your step, Li Min. This canyon isn't just rocks and dirt; it’s a graveyard of sounds," Jian Chen muttered, his eyes narrowing as he surveyed the narrow, jagged ravine ahead. The air here was weird—vibrating at a frequency that made his teeth feel loose in his gums."It smells like lightning and old laundry, Master," Li Min replied, her hand hovering over her daggers. She looked pale, the overwhelming Qi of the Heavenly Pond still settling into her fragile meridians. "Every time the wind blows through those cracks, I feel like someone's screaming right in my ear.""That’s because they are, little bird," Jian Chen said, a cold smirk playing on his lips. "You're hearing the residue of every battle fought here for the last millennium. The Whispering Canyon doesn't let go of vibrations. It keeps them. It's a natural recorder.""Is that how the Echoing Fist works?" Fubune asked, stepping over a heap of shattered obsidian. She was checking the tactical maps once more, her brows furrow
Chapter 20 The Blind Sage's Blind Spot
"Master, your ears are bleeding," Fubune noted, walking up and handing him a silk handkerchief. "And you look like you’ve been through a meat-grinder. Was it worth it? Or did you just pick up another parlor trick?""A parlor trick?" Jian Chen laughed, though the sound caused the nearby gravel to jump. "Fubune, I just stole five hundred years of lineage research in five minutes. With this, I can literally feel someone's attack before they even decide to throw it. Every 'heroic move' Lin Fan has left is just a vibration I already know the answer to.""Speaking of the 'Hero,' he's close," Fubune warned, looking toward the mouth of the canyon. "Luo’s informers just sent a final signal. He's at the South Entrance. And Master... he's not alone. He has a 'Scholar' with him. An old man in yellow robes.""Scholar Wen? No, he's supposed to be in the library. Who is it?" Jian Chen asked, his jaw tightening."The report calls him '