The ultimate chaos God

You are just a disgrace

Li Yuer flinched, pulling Li Tian closer, but the tension in her thin shoulders broke when she saw the man standing in the doorway.

It was Li Cheng.

Li Tian stared at his father. The man looked like a walking corpse. His body was frail, his skin sallow and draped loosely over jutting bones. This was the shell of a man whose cultivation had been violently shattered by a forbidden technique. His meridians were dead, leaving him hollowed out and constantly drowning in exhaustion.

Li Cheng didn't look at his wife. He dropped to his knees right beside the hard cot, his trembling hands grasping the edge of the cheap mattress.

"I couldn't protect you," Li Cheng choked out, his voice rough and wet with unshed tears. His knuckles turned white. "If I were still strong... if I hadn't been crippled... Li Wei wouldn't have dared to touch you. Your cultivation wouldn't be stuck like this. It's my fault."

Li Tian looked down at the broken man.

He didn't feel pity. He didn't feel anger. He only felt a cold, deep resonance.

He gave everything too, Li Tian thought quietly. And the world took it from him anyway.

Li Tian slowly raised his frail hand and rested it on his father's trembling shoulder. It was a simple gesture, but the weight behind his ancient eyes made Li Cheng freeze.

"It's alright," Li Tian whispered, his voice thin but completely steady.

Before Li Cheng could speak, the air in the room vibrated.

DOOOONG.

A massive, heavy bell tolled from the peak of the mountain, the sound rolling down and shaking the rotting timber of their ceiling. Then it rang again. And a third time.

Li Cheng's face drained of what little color it had left. "The Clan Emergency Bell..."

The Inner Courtyard of the Li celestial Clan was a monument to their wealth and heritage. It was a vast expanse of pale stone, perfectly flat, leading up to an imposing series of wide stairs. At the center of the courtyard lay a massive circular carving, a geometric mandala etched deeply into the ground. Surrounding it were towering pavilions and the Main Hall, their dark, sweeping roofs and jade pillars exuding an oppressive majesty.

Li Tian walked beside his father, his weak legs dragging slightly across the flawless stone.

Hundreds of clan members had already assembled, forming a sea of pristine robes. As the crippled father and his bruised son passed through the ranks, the silence broke into a low, venomous hiss.

"The trash and his father are here."

"They don't deserve to step on this stone."

"Why haven't they been banished out of the clan yet?"

"A pure disgrace to the Li Clan."

Li Tian's face remained a mask of dead calm. He had been executed by the highest elders of his past life. The sneers of these weaklings felt like a gentle breeze.

At the far end of the courtyard, elevated on a grand stone dais, sat the absolute authority of the clan.

Clan Leader Li Wuji, a Law Comprehension Realm Grade 5 master, sat in the center. His aura was an invisible weight that pressed down on the entire courtyard. To his left and right sat three imposing figures: Elder Li Bao (Law compression realm Grade 2), Elder Lianxu (Law compression realm Grade 2), and Elder Li Yufeng (Law compression Realm Grade 3).

Standing off to the side of the dais was Li Wei, his cold eyes locked onto Li Tian. Beside him leaned his eldest brother, Li Tao. Tao didn't even look at the crowd; his arms were crossed, his eyes half-closed in arrogant indifference, completely detached from the proceedings.

Far above them all, in a secluded observation pavilion extending from the Main Hall, sat Master Li Baihe. The Law compression Grade 7 master, ancient was little more than skin and bones, yet he projected an aura deeper than the abyss. He slowly waved a paper fan, a serene, chilling smile resting on his wrinkled face as he watched the courtyard below.

"Li Tian. Li Cheng," Li Wuji's voice boomed, amplified by his dense qi. "Step forward."

They stopped in the center of the carved mandala.

Li Wuji leaned forward, his eyes narrowing with deep disgust. "You ungrateful brat. Why would you talk down on me, even though I was merciful enough to allow you to continue as a Li clan outer circle disciples, even though you are a piece of trash?"

A collective gasp rippled through the courtyard. The disciples stared at Li Tian in sheer amazement, their expressions twisting into shock and outrage.

"He dared to look down on the Clan Leader?" someone whispered sharply. "He really wants to die!"

Li Cheng stepped in front of his son, his frail body trembling with rage. "You speak of mercy?" Li Cheng shouted, his voice cracking under the pressure of Wuji's aura. "Why don't you tame your own child first! He is the one taking advantage of Li Tian!" He pointed a shaking finger at the dais. "You call me ungrateful? You are shameless!"

"Shut your mouth!" Li Wei roared, stepping forward from the shadows of the pillars. He pointed sharply at Li Cheng, his face dark with fury. "How dare you talk back to my father, you crippled dog!"

Elder Li Yufeng slammed his hand against his stone armrest. A shockwave of qi silenced the murmurs. "You have taken the Clan Leader's mercy for granted for far too long, Li Cheng," the elder spat. "With that attitude, neither of you should have earned any place in the Li celestial Clan after your failure."

The courtyard grew dangerously quiet. The killing intent in the air was palpable.

Elder Li Bao raised a hand, to calm the raging atmosphere. He looked down at Li Tian and Li Cheng with absolute apathy.

"Enough," Li Bao stated coldly. "The Li Clan does not feed useless dogs who bite the hand that feeds them. I will pass judgment. If the boy cannot fulfill it, he will be permanently banished from the outer circle disciples"

As Li Bao picked up a jade slip, two clan enforcers blurred into motion. They materialized behind Li Tian and Li Cheng, kicking the backs of their knees.

CRACK.

Li Tian's weak legs buckled, forcing him to kneel on the hard stone.

Li Bao read the verdict, his voice echoing across the silent courtyard.

"First. Li Tian will sweep all the training grounds and clean all the learning classes, every single day, without fail."

"Second. He will no longer have any access to the clan's cultivation materials . He is cut off entirely."

Li Cheng struggled against the enforcer pressing his shoulders down. "No! This is unfair! He is already weak, you are working him to death!"

Li Tian didn't struggle. He knelt on the cold stone, his head bowed.

He slowly reached out and placed his bruised hand over his father's struggling fist. The grip was weak, but the terrifying stillness in Li Tian's touch made Li Cheng freeze.

"Leave it," Li Tian whispered, his voice completely hollow.

He slowly lifted his head, looking past the enforcers, past Li Wei, and directly at the stone floor of the training grounds visible in the distance.