The ultimate chaos God

Moonshade Grove

One Hour Earlier...

Moonshade Grove was silent except for the rustling of ancient trees.

Li Bao and Li Hu dragged Li Tian through the forest like a sack of grain. Their hands were like iron shackles around his wrists. Every attempt to break free ended in failure.

Li Tian gritted his teeth and tried to circulate the little spiritual qi he possessed. Nothing happened.

His Grade Two Soul Awakening cultivation was simply too weak. To cultivators like Li Bao and Li Hu, both Grade Seven Soul Awakening experts and inner-circle disciples of the Li Celestial Clan, resisting them was as impossible as pushing back a mountain.

The three finally entered a clearing beneath a massive willow tree.

Without warning, THUD!

They threw Li Tian into the dirt. His cheek scraped across loose gravel before he came to a stop at someone's feet.

A pair of spotless white boots.

Li Tian slowly lifted his head.

Standing beneath the willow was a young boy no older than six. Despite his age, an invisible pressure radiated from him, making the surrounding air noticeably heavier. His expensive white robes fluttered gently in the breeze while a flawless jade ring spun lazily around his thumb. His expression carried the boredom of someone forced to deal with something beneath him.

Li Wei. The greatest genius of the younger generation. Grade Ten Soul Awakening. The future pride of the Li Celestial Clan.

Li Bao yanked Li Tian upright by the hair while Li Hu forced both of his arms behind his back. Pain shot through his shoulders as his joints nearly dislocated.

Li Wei looked down at him with calm indifference.

"So..." He stopped spinning the jade ring. "The cripple's son still hasn't learned his lesson."

Li Tian struggled to straighten his back. "I..." Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. "...am still a member of this clan."

Li Wei smiled. Then spat directly into Li Tian's face.

The saliva slid slowly down his bruised cheek.

"You call yourself family? You're nothing more than a parasite feeding on our clan's resources." He leaned slightly closer. "You and your crippled father should have left years ago."

Li Tian lowered his head. For a long moment, he remained silent.

Then a weak laugh escaped his lips. "Heh..."

Li Wei frowned. "What?"

Li Tian slowly looked up. "You..." He coughed blood before forcing out another smile. "...have no right to speak about dignity."

The clearing became silent.

"Your father..." Li Tian continued. "...is the most shameless man in this clan."

Li Bao and Li Hu froze. Even the wind seemed to stop.

Li Wei's fingers stopped moving. His smile vanished.

"What did you say?"

Li Tian met his gaze despite the blood running into one eye. "My father fought fairly. Your father couldn't win, so he crippled him with a forbidden technique."

Silence.

A cold breeze swept through Moonshade Grove.

For the first time, something cracked behind Li Wei's composed expression. It lasted only a heartbeat, then disappeared.

"So that's what your father told you." His voice became frighteningly soft. "A cripple's son daring to insult the Clan Leader."

Li Tian laughed again. Weak. Broken. But filled with ridicule.

"At least my father never cheated."

BOOM!

Terrifying spiritual pressure exploded from Li Wei's body. Leaves shattered before they could touch the ground. Small stones floated into the air before exploding into dust. Even Li Bao and Li Hu instinctively stumbled backward, cold sweat covering their foreheads.

Li Wei slowly raised his right hand. Golden qi gathered around his fist, condensing layer after layer until his arm resembled molten gold. The surrounding space groaned beneath the pressure.

Li Tian looked at the approaching fist. He understood immediately. Li Wei wasn't trying to teach him a lesson. He intended to kill him.

"World Crushing Fist."

The words fell quietly. The fist descended.

BOOOOOOM!!

The earth exploded. A deafening shockwave swept through the clearing. Massive cracks spread across the ground like spiderwebs. Li Tian's body disappeared beneath the impact. Dust and blood shot into the sky.

Silence followed.

As the dust slowly settled, a crater nearly ten meters wide had formed beneath the willow tree. Li Tian lay buried in shattered earth. Blood flowed from his ears, his nose, his eyes. His swollen face was barely recognizable. His body trembled uncontrollably before finally becoming still.

Li Bao swallowed hard. "...Young Master..."

Li Wei calmly brushed imaginary dust from his sleeve. "You should feel grateful. My father showed your family mercy. Otherwise, you wouldn't still be breathing."

Just then, footsteps. Soft. Steady.

A young girl stepped into the clearing. A-Ning.

The moment she saw the crater, her expression changed. Her eyes moved from the unconscious Li Tian to Li Wei standing above him. She clenched her fists.

"...Li Wei."

Her voice broke the silence. Everyone turned toward her.

She walked forward without hesitation until she stood at the edge of the crater. Blood soaked the shattered earth beneath Li Tian's body. Her breathing quickened.

"What have you done?"

Li Wei answered casually. "He challenged me."

A-Ning's eyes narrowed. "He's barely alive."

No one spoke. The forest became eerily quiet.

She raised her head. "I'll report this to the clan elders."

The words landed like thunder. Li Bao and Li Hu immediately exchanged uneasy glances. Even Li Wei's expression stiffened for a brief moment.

Slowly, he turned toward her. "You'll report me?" His voice was calm. Too calm.

A-Ning didn't retreat. "What you did crossed the line."

Several heartbeats passed. Neither of them moved.

Then a cold smile spread across Li Wei's face. He looked one last time at the unconscious Li Tian, his eyes burning with undisguised hatred.

"This isn't over." He turned around. "Let's go."

Li Bao and Li Hu immediately followed, relief visible on both of their faces. None of them looked back.

Only Li Wei's voice drifted through the grove. "The next time we meet, I'll make sure you never wake up again."

The forest fell silent.

A-Ning ran into the crater and dropped to her knees beside Li Tian. His breathing was almost impossible to hear.

"...Idiot."

Her voice trembled. She carefully lifted his head into her lap. "You always act brave when you're too weak to protect yourself."

Looking at his battered body, she bit her lip until it bled. Then, with great difficulty, she pulled him onto her back.

He felt unbelievably light. Far too light. As if years of suffering had already hollowed him out from the inside.

"You'd better survive, because I'm definitely making you repay this."

With slow, determined steps, A-Ning carried him out of Moonshade Grove.

Neither of them noticed that deep inside Li Tian's chest, something ancient stirred.

A heartbeat echoed through the darkness.

THUMP.