2026-08-05 12:52:42That morning, Crescent Alley was unusually lively. The scent of herbs and a flicker of hope hung in the air normally thick with garbage and smog.
Arkhan stood in front of his shop, wearing a faded cheap shirt that looked remarkably neat. He held a small leather bag left behind by his master, containing basic medical tools and silver needles he had cleansed with spiritual energy last night.
Though his stomach was full thanks to the locals, Arkhan knew he couldn't stay here if he wanted to fully heal. He needed high-grade medical supplies like Snow Ginseng or Dragon Blood Mushrooms, items found only in elite auctions or rich collectors' vaults.
"To reach the Bronze Vessel Stage, I need at least three hundred million just for basic bone-forging herbs," Arkhan thought, stepping out toward the main boulevard of Metropolis.
The city was a concrete jungle. Skyscrapers towered over the streets as if challenging the heavens. Arkhan walked calmly along the sidewalk, ignoring the stares branding him a beggar.
To him, the bustle felt shallow. Almost everyone passing by carried the seeds of disease—a byproduct of toxic lifestyles and foul environmental energy.
Suddenly, the sharp screech of tires tore through the traffic noise.
SCREECH!
A luxury convoy—three black Mercedes-Benzes with a Rolls-Royce Phantom in the middle—slammed to a halt at the curb just a few meters ahead. Doors flew open, and suit-clad bodyguards wearing earpieces scrambled out in a panic.
"Sir! Sir, wake up!" shouted a bodyguard, pulling open the Rolls-Royce's rear door.
A crowd gathered. Arkhan stopped a few paces away. Through his spiritual sense, he spotted a thick "black aura" spewing from inside the car. Cold, violent, and pulsing like a dying heart.
An elderly man with snow-white hair lay slumped inside. His face was blue, his breathing like tearing paper. Beside him, a strikingly beautiful young woman with a cold, commanding presence trembled in terror.
It was Luna Wijaya.
"Call an ambulance from the Central Hospital! Right now!" Luna yelled, her voice trembling with anger and fear. "Grandpa, hang on! Don't leave me!"
A middle-aged man in a white coat—likely the family doctor—pulled out a medical bag. His trembling hands checked the old man's pulse. "He stopped breathing! Blood pressure is crashing! Get the epinephrine jab ready! We need to stimulate his heart now!"
Seeing the doctor pull out a syringe, Arkhan spoke up. His voice wasn't loud, yet it cut through the chaos.
"Inject that now, and he dies in three seconds. His heart didn't stop from failure; it's clogged by frozen cold energy. That shot will shatter his blood vessels."
Every eye snapped to Arkhan.
Luna Wijaya turned, locking her sharp gaze onto the pale, shabby young man. "Who are you? How dare you speak like that while my grandfather's life hangs by a thread!"
Doctor Hendra sneered in rage. "Where did this beggar come from? Get lost! Don't interfere with medical procedures! I am a German-trained cardiologist, I know what I'm doing!"
Hendra ignored the warning and plunged the epinephrine needle into the old man's arm.
One second... two seconds...
The portable heart monitor emitted a long, flat screech. Mr. Wijaya convulsed violently, then went stiff. Fresh blood trickled from his nose and ears.
"What?! Impossible! Why is this happening?!" Hendra turned pale, frantically attempting CPR, but the old man didn't respond.
"Grandpa! GRANDPA!" Luna shrieked hysterically. She looked back at Arkhan, despair flickering in her eyes. "You... you said he'd die if injected. Do you know something?!"
Arkhan stepped forward calmly. Two bodyguards blocked his path, but Luna barked, "Let him through! Move!"
Arkhan stood by the open car door. In his spiritual sight, the old man's meridians were nearly smothered by a black fog. This was Soul-Freezing Poison, an ancient technique that had no business existing in this era.
"Stop crying. Do you want me to save your grandfather, or do you want to keep crying?" Arkhan asked coldly.
"Please... save him," Luna sobbed. "I'll give you anything! Anything!"
Arkhan pulled a silver needle from his small bag. It looked old and unconvincing, prompting Doctor Hendra to yell again, "Hey! Don't touch the patient with that filthy tool! That's malpractice! He's dead, leave him alone!"
Arkhan didn't turn. Swiftly, he drove the needle straight into the peak of the old man's head—the Baihui point—followed by two more below his collarbones.
"Shut up, or you'll join him," Arkhan growled at Hendra.
Arkhan pressed his palm against Mr. Wijaya's left chest. Closing his eyes, he forced a sliver of his soul essence to flow—not to heal him completely, but to shatter the cold energy blockage.
Thump.
A faint pop echoed, as if something broke inside the old man's chest.
The next second, Mr. Wijaya gasped loudly.
HACK!
He spewed a thick blob of foul, freezing black sludge onto the car floor—the fluid literally emitting icy vapor.
The heart monitor beeped back to life... beep... beep... beep... indicating a steady pulse. The blue tint on his face faded into a pale flush.
A heavy silence fell over the crowd. Bodyguards, onlookers, and especially Doctor Hendra froze as if seeing a ghost.
Luna Wijaya covered her mouth, tears of relief spilling over. "Grandpa... Grandpa, you're awake?"
Arkhan calmly drew his needles back. His vision wobbled slightly; using energy had drained his remaining strength.
"He's not cured," Arkhan said, turning away without waiting for thanks. "That was just emergency aid to buy him a few days. If the poison in his bone marrow isn't cleared within three days, not even a god can save him."
"Wait!" Luna called out, trying to catch up. "Sir! What's your name? Where can I find you?"
Arkhan kept walking, his lonely silhouette commanding respect amid the city crowd.
"Just look for 'Crescent Clinic' in Crescent Alley. And remember... don't let that foolish doctor touch him again if you want your grandfather to keep breathing."
Luna stood frozen, watching Arkhan fade around the corner. She clutched her family's gold business card that she hadn't managed to hand over.
"Crescent Alley..." Luna muttered. "Hurry! Find out who that man is! I want his full file in an hour!"
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Chapter 011
“Lord Arkhan, please—” Luna’s voice was cut off by a sharp mechanical sound. BANG! A .45-caliber bullet tore through the quiet dawn, aimed directly at Luna’s head. She didn’t even have time to blink. For a brief moment, the world seemed to slow down, and death felt like a cold breeze brushing past her ear. But before the burning projectile could touch a single strand of her hair, a hand moved faster than the human eye could follow. CLING! Metal struck metal. Luna felt a powerful pull on her shoulder. Her petite body collided with Arkhan’s broad, rock-hard chest as he wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her behind him. His other hand remained raised in front of them. Luna gasped, her heart pounding violently. She looked up and froze. Between Arkhan’s index and middle fingers was the smoking bullet. “L-Lord Arkhan… you caught it?” she whispered in disbelief. Arkhan said nothing. His cold eyes remained fixed on the limousine. He released the bullet, letting it fall
Chapter 010
The night in Crescent Alley felt colder than usual, as though the universe held its breath to witness the monumental transition about to unfold.Arkhan stepped into his shophouse with a steady pace, though his breathing remained slightly heavy. The metallic stench of blood from the docks lingered on his black suit, yet his eyes held a singular focus: the old wooden table at the center of the room, now serving as the altar for his new destiny.He laid down the silk package with utmost care. Inside, the Blood Dew Flower glowed with a crimson hue, pulsing almost like a human heartbeat.Beside it, the jet-black Dragon's Breath Root and the pure white Snow Ginseng waited to be fused. Three core ingredients deemed useless trash or mere myth in the modern world, yet in Arkhan's hands, they were the key to immortality."Fifteen hundred years I have awaited this chance," Arkhan whispered, his voice echoing in the quiet room."This fragile vessel will no longer be a prison for my soul."Arkhan
Chapter 009
Pier 7 shook. Under the flickering dim mercury lights, Arkhan stood face-to-face with the black-robed man bearing the fang tattoo on his neck. The man—Zarkos, an elite executioner for the Black Fang syndicate—glared at Arkhan with deep hatred. In his hand, the wooden box holding the Blood Dew Flower began to spark with flames."You think your marble-flicking can stop me?" Zarkos spat to the side. He released dark energy from his body, a forbidden breathing technique that swelled the muscles in his arms to twice their size."This flower will turn to ash, just like your life!"Zarkos lunged. His green dagger sliced through the air with near-invisible speed.Arkhan did not retreat. Instead, he stepped forward into Zarkos's strike zone. With fluid efficiency, Arkhan twisted his wrist, catching Zarkos's arm and snapping it in the opposite direction.CRACK!The sound of shattering bone echoed above the crashing waves. Zarkos roared, but before he could scream louder, Arkhan's palm slammed i
Chapter 008
The sea wind blew fiercely, carrying the salty stench of brine and a thick, pungent smell of diesel fuel. Metropolis Port at night was a giant iron labyrinth built from stacked, colorful shipping containers towering like spires.Under flickering mercury lights, Pier 7 resembled a silent warzone. Yellow police tape stretched across Warehouse 14, but to Arkhan, the plastic ribbon was nothing more than decoration.Arkhan moved through the shadows. His expensive black suit—purchased just hours ago—blended seamlessly into the dark of night. His footsteps made no sound, as if his body weight was manipulated by the energy surging through his meridians."Ten minutes to ten," Arkhan whispered, glancing at his watch."I must secure that Blood Dew Flower before the flames of destruction touch it."He stood atop a stack of wooden pallets, scanning the scene. Yet the night's stillness shattered violently.RATATATATATA!A burst of automatic gunfire tore through the quiet. Muzzle flashes sparked aga
Chapter 007
Arkhan's footsteps, now clad in premium leather shoes, no longer made the scraping sounds they had before. Behind the heavy sandalwood door, the atmosphere of Griya Atsiri felt entirely different from the noise of the mall outside. Here, the air was filled with fragrant particles of rare medicinal plants—ranging from the soothing scent of agarwood to the sharp aroma of mountain spices.The space was vast, lit by warm yellow lighting that highlighted bulletproof glass display cases. At the center of the room, a small crowd of formally dressed people gathered around the main display. Inside, a fresh fifty-year-old snow ginseng with long fibrous roots rested upon a red silk pillow."A fifty-year-old Snow Ginseng! Look at the sheen on its skin. This is a miracle of nature that could extend someone's life by ten years!" exclaimed a slick-haired blonde young man, Brandon. He was the son of a prominent pharmaceutical tycoon, and beside him stood an old man wearing thick glasses and a pristin
Chapter 006
That morning, Crescent Alley remained cloaked in thin mist and the distinct stench of the wet market, yet inside shophouse number 44, the atmosphere had transformed entirely. Arkhan stood before a cracked mirror above the sink, staring at his reflection. His hair was black with a faint reddish sheen—a residual trace of ancient energy beginning to fuse with his body's cells. His shirt was threadbare, faded into a yellowish-brown, and his trousers bore several patches at the knees."The world today is a shallow stage," Arkhan muttered in a low baritone. "They will not listen to a sage if he dresses like a beggar."Arkhan reached into his pocket and pulled out an object that starkly contrasted with his surroundings: the Wijaya Family Black Card. Cold, heavy, and trimmed with gold, it symbolized boundless power.To him, it was merely a piece of plastic, but to the outside world, it was the key to the gates of heaven.He stepped outside, locked the creaking wooden door, and walked toward t
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