"Holy—" Fubune’s voice was cut short as the world outside the spatial tunnel turned into a jagged mess of white-hot lightning. The air didn't just vibrate; it felt like it was trying to turn inside out. BOOM!“Shut up and hold on!” Jian Chen roared, his fists glowing with a terrifying, rhythmic hum of the [Echoing Fist]. He didn't just hit the barrier; he aimed for the very frequency of the lock. “System! Siphon the resistance! I’m breaking through whether the universe likes it or not!”[Warning: Dimensional integrity at 12%. Counter-measure detected: Shadow Sect Void Shackle. Host, if you don't breach now, you’ll be crushed into a singularity.]“Singularity this!” Jian Chen grunted, putting every ounce of his [Spirit Severing] Qi into the strike. CRACK! The barrier didn't just break; it shattered like a glass wall hit by a sledgehammer. The violet distortion swallowed the screams of t

The first Void Walker’s head didn't just fall; it dissolved into a mist of grey sparks before it even hit the forest floor. Jian Chen stood amidst the swirling ash of Scholar Wen’s library, his fingers still vibrating with a low, bone-chilling hum. He looked at the remaining four cloaked figures with an expression that screamed absolute boredom. “Really? That’s your vanguard?” Jian Chen asked, flicking a stray spark of grey energy off his sleeve. “I expected a little more... resistance. You guys are supposed to be the boogeymen of the dark sects, right?”“You speak big for a man whose soul is already being weighed by the void,” the second Walker hissed, his voice like dry leaves scraping on stone. He raised his curved blade, and the air around it began to bleed into a localized vacuum. “Surround him! Don't let his vibrations reach the air!”“Ooh, a 'Silence Field',” Jian Chen mocked, his violet eyes flashing with a predatory light. “Hey, Fubune, are you seeing this? They’re trying to

“Oh, I know,” Jian Chen laughed, starting toward the rooftops. “It’s not exhausted. It’s just holding its breath for the right owner. Tell me, Fubune, do you know what a monopoly looks like in this world?”“I’m sure you’re going to show me, Master,” she replied with a grin.“I'm going to show everyone,” Jian Chen said, his spatial light shimmering around him. “Lin Fan... your college tuition just got canceled. And the bank is owned by me.”“Lord! Look at the gates!” Li Min called out via a telepathic stone. “Someone is breaking through! It’s him! He’s here early!”Jian Chen stopped, looking back toward the South Gate. There, through the haze of smoke and panic, a single figure in tattered white robes was riding a bloody horse, his eyes fixed on the dais. Lin Fan had finally arrived. He saw the chaos, he heard the

"Merchant Lord Jin kept very thorough records of his business partners," Jian Chen said, tapping his temple. "Now, do we talk about your skin being removed, or do we call in the Lin family to sign those papers?""I... I'll get them. Right now. Just... keep that paper. Burn it! Please!" Gu wheezed, practically tripping over his own robes as he scrambled for the door."He’s pathetic, Master. Are you sure we should leave him alive?" Fubune asked, looking at the door with a disgusted sneer. "He’ll sell us out the moment someone offers him more gold.""Let him try. I've already corrupted his signature on three different smuggling dockets. If I go down, he goes to the furnace," Jian Chen replied. He looked at Li Min. "Ready for the theater, bird? Don't look too happy. We want them to think we're doing them a favor."The Lin family representatives were ushered in moments later. Lin Shiyan, an old man with hands calloused from decades of failure, looked up at Jian Chen with a mixture of terro

"You ... you want me to work for you?" Luo laughed, a jagged, nervous sound. "After you burned my life down?! Why the hell would I give you a single whisper of intel?!""Because if you don't, Fubune is going to let the Imperial Bank realize that you're the one who provided the false deeds for the Twilight Forest lands," Jian Chen stated, looking at Fubune and winking. "And do you know what they do to forgers in this district? They don't flay you, Luo. They feed you to the Sewer-Ghouls, piece by agonizing piece.""You’re a devil," Luo whispered, sinking into his chair. "A literal devil.""Don't give me so much credit. I'm just an accountant with better reflexes," Jian Chen smirked. He stood up, and the [System] chimed in his head with a satisfying, high-pitched ring. [Alert: Target Night Serpent Luo's Will is at 5%. Opportunity for Destiny Drain detected.]"He’s ready, Lord," Fubune said, stepping forward. "His informant