The dark clouds hung heavily over the sky, casting a suffocating gloom across Eternal Spirit City. Today was supposed to be a day of celebration—the Grand Selection Ceremony, where young geniuses from all factions competed for glory and entry into the Sacred Domain. Yet, beneath the surface of excitement, a sense of unease rippled through the crowd.
At the heart of the city, the vast Grand Plaza buzzed with life. Thousands gathered: prestigious clans, sect elders, rogue cultivators, merchants, commoners. All eyes focused on the elevated platform at the center, adorned with banners bearing the symbols of the Four Great Clans.
The air was thick with spiritual energy. Talismans floated overhead, forming protective barriers. The city had never seen such a concentration of power—nor such vulnerability.
Suddenly, a chilling gust swept through the plaza.
All conversations died mid-sentence.
A figure appeared atop the platform, dressed in black robes trimmed with crimson. His silver hair danced wildly in the wind, and his crimson eyes gleamed with unrestrained arrogance.
"Vạn Thiên Phong..."
The whisper echoed like thunder.
Every elder, every clan leader, every powerful cultivator turned pale.
It was him—the heretic, the traitor, the one who had single-handedly destroyed the Heaven Sword Sect three months ago.
Today, he had come to the Grand Selection.
And no one knew why.
---
Vạn Thiên Phong stood casually on the stage, hands behind his back, as if he owned the world. His gaze swept across the sea of faces—disdain, fear, hatred—all emotions that only fed his amusement.
"Such a lively gathering," he said, voice cold and clear. "I couldn't resist coming to... congratulate you all."
No one dared to speak.
The guards stationed around the plaza tensed, weapons drawn. Elder Mu of the Cloud Mist Sect stepped forward, shouting, "Vạn Thiên Phong! This is not the place for your wicked games! Leave now, or face the wrath of all four clans combined!"
Phong chuckled. It was a soft, almost gentle sound—yet it sent shivers down every spine.
"Wrath?"
He lifted a hand casually—and the nearest guard exploded into a mist of blood.
Boom!
A wave of terror swept through the plaza.
"YOU DARE?!"
Elder Mu roared, leaping into the air, sword blazing with radiant energy. He was a Saint Core expert, known for his formidable strength. The crowd cheered inwardly; surely, this monster would be stopped!
But Vạn Thiên Phong merely raised a finger.
A blood-red beam shot forth, piercing Elder Mu's chest before he could even complete his first strike.
Mu froze mid-air. His body trembled. Then, with a loud crack, he disintegrated into dust.
Gasps erupted from every direction.
Saint Core... annihilated in one move.
The plaza descended into chaos. Some tried to flee, but an invisible barrier sealed the entire area. Screams filled the air, blending with the desperate clashing of spiritual energy.
And at the center of it all, Phong stood, unbothered, a devil among mortals.
---
Elsewhere, behind the platform...
Inside the VIP pavilion, the leaders of the Four Great Clans exchanged horrified glances.
"We must activate the Divine Suppression Array!" Clan Leader Bai hissed.
"But it requires all four of us working together!" Patriarch Yun objected, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
"There's no choice!" Clan Leader Huo growled. "If we don't stop him now, this city is finished!"
Grimly, the four leaders linked hands, pouring their qi into the ancient formation beneath the plaza.
A blinding golden light erupted from the ground, forming a massive array that encompassed Phong.
The audience watched with bated breath. Finally, the monster would be sealed!
Vạn Thiên Phong lifted his head lazily as golden chains of energy rushed toward him.
"Divine Suppression Array?"
He smirked.
"How nostalgic."
With a flick of his wrist, black flames burst from his body, engulfing the golden chains. One by one, the sacred lights shattered like fragile glass.
The four leaders paled.
"Impossible!" Patriarch Yun gasped. "That's a Saint King level array!"
Phong took a step forward. The ground cracked beneath his feet.
"You're still living in the past," he said coldly.
"The world has changed."
"And I am its future."
With a snap of his fingers, an enormous blood lotus blossomed beneath the VIP pavilion. Screams echoed as half the building—and half the city's ruling elites—were devoured by the crimson petals.
---
Meanwhile, among the participants...
Hidden among the terrified young cultivators stood a girl in a blue robe. Her face was calm, her gaze unwavering.
Bạch Tiêu Nhiên.
Unlike the others, she did not tremble.
In fact, her eyes shone with a strange, complicated light as she watched Phong.
So this... is the true face of the man fate warned me about.
She clenched her fists.
Not in fear.
But in determination.
---
Back on the stage...
Bodies littered the plaza. Blood flowed like rivers. Cries for mercy fell on deaf ears.
Vạn Thiên Phong hovered in the air, surveying the devastation he had wrought. Yet deep in his eyes, there was no joy. Only a hollow emptiness.
He spoke, voice booming over the entire city:
> "Hear me, Eternal Spirit City!
Today marks the end of your era.
You called me villain. Demon. Monster.
You hunted me. Betrayed me.
Now...
You shall kneel."
As he spoke, the blood on the ground rose, forming rivers of crimson energy that spiraled around him.
The cultivators remaining dropped to their knees, faces pale, bodies shaking.
Not from fear.
But from a force greater than themselves.
It was as if the very heavens recognized Phong's ascension.
A loud, thunderous roar echoed from the skies.
Lightning cracked.
Clouds parted.
And in that moment, Vạn Thiên Phong stood alone against heaven and earth—undefeated, untouchable.
---
But far away...
In the hidden recesses of the Sacred Domain, ancient beings stirred.
Eyes older than time opened.
Whispers crossed the void.
> "The Villain... has awakened."
> "The Heavens must respond."
> "Prepare the Heavenly Tribulation."
And so, even as Vạn Thiên Phong basked in his brutal triumph, destiny itself began to move once more...
Not to stop him.
But to destroy him utterly.
Or so they thought.
[end of chapter 14]