Night fell like a heavy velvet curtain, isolating Shen Xuan in his private courtyard.
The moon of this Middle Plane hung high, casting a pale, sickly light compared to the radiant celestial orbs of his homeland.
He sat by the edge of the pond. His reflection stared back at him from the water, a fractured ghost ripples distorting a face that had once commanded the reverence of galaxies.
For the first time since his awakening from the billion-year slumber, his mask of supreme indifference slipped.
A sigh, heavy with the weight of eons, escaped his lips. The sound seemed to age the very air around him.
He was cold to the world because he had to be. In a universe that had devoured his kin, weakness was a sin he could not afford.
But beneath the frost of his Dao Heart, he was a soul starved for the warmth of a trust that no longer existed.
His mind drifted, pulled by the currents of memory back to a time before the silence.
Before the Great Seal, he had been on the precipice of his twenty-sixth year.
But his existence spanned far beyond that mortal measurement. He was a true Scion of the Chaos.
He had gestated in his mother's womb for ten thousand years, bathed in the pure, unadulterated essence of Primordial Chaos.
When he finally took his first breath, the heavens had sung, for he was born already standing at the Chaos Dao Realm.
He thought of his twin sister.
She had shared that ten-thousand-year darkness with him.
A bond forged before breath, a connection of souls that transcended space. Where was she now? Was she also dust? Or was she, like him, a ghost haunting a universe that had forgotten her name?
He remembered the battlefield beyond the Sea of Chaos.
He saw the skies burning with the fire of dying stars. He heard the screams of void beasts and the war drums of the traitorous clans.
He remembered the blood of gods painting the void in strokes of crimson and gold.
And then, the memory that haunted his nightmares.
His father's final command. The feeling of the seal snapping shut. The world going dark.
"And now?" Shen Xuan whispered to the silence.
He was here. Alone. The strongest clan in the history of existence, the Eternal Shen, erased from the annals of time.
His father, a Quasi-Sovereign whose mere will could warp reality and collapse dimensions, reduced to a wisp of obsession that had faded into nothingness before his very eyes.
"Destroying a soul of that magnitude... it should be impossible," Shen Xuan whispered to the reflection, his fingers tracing the water's surface.
"Even the Heavenly Way dares not extinguish a Quasi-Sovereign so easily.
Who... who had the power to do this? Was it truly just the combined forces of the Chaos Universe? Or was there a hand from the Beyond?"
He looked up at the unfamiliar stars of this regressed Middle Plane.
In his previous life, he would have scoffed at such a lowly world, a place where the spiritual energy was thin and the laws were fragile. Now, it was his cage. It was his starting line.
A single tear, hot and unbidden, traced a path down his cheek. It fell into the pond, creating a ripple that disturbed the moon's reflection.
"One day," he vowed to the silent moon, his voice a low vibration that shook the atoms of the water.
"I will rewrite the Laws of Life and Death. I will drag you back from the void, Father... Mother. Even if I have to slaughter the Three thousand Great Daos to do it."
His gray eyes flared. The iris vanished, replaced by a molten golden-purple light that swirled like a nebula. The determination in his heart burned hot enough to sear the heavens.
"But first... I must survive."
He banished the melancholy with a thought. Haste was the enemy. One mistake in his cultivation now would unravel the perfect foundation he needed to reclaim his throne. He had to rebuild his palace, brick by bloody brick.
He retreated to his room. With a wave of his hand, he activated a sealing formation, locking out the world, and surrendered to the oblivion of sleep.
The Next Morning
The night passed in silent stillness. A new dawn slowly unfolded over Heiyun City, painting the sky in hues of soft violet and orange.
The gentle rays of the sun brushed the rooftops as the world awakened once more to its cycle of struggle and survival.
Shen Xuan opened his eyes.
He felt the faint stir of chaos energy in the air. To him, it tasted diluted, like wine mixed with too much water, but it was life nonetheless.
"A new day," he murmured, rising from the bed. He stretched his limbs, feeling the muscles respond with a vigor that had been absent yesterday.
"A new life."
He moved to the bath.
Water, heated by spirit stones, sluiced over his pale skin.
Steam rose like mist around a mountain peak, cleansing away the dust of the previous day and the lingering sorrow of the night.
He stood there, a statue of perfection carved from celestial jade, lost in the sensation of warmth.
Knock... knock!
The sound shattered the tranquility.
Shen Xuan frowned.
He was not used to being disturbed. He stepped out of the bath, water dripping from his frame.
He grabbed a single white cloth, wrapping it loosely around his waist. It was a casual, almost careless gesture.
He walked to the door.
Flick.
He opened it.
Xiao Ling stood there. She held a storage ring clutched tightly in her hand, her mouth open to deliver a cheerful morning greeting.
The words died in her throat.
Time seemed to freeze.
Before her stood a masterpiece of celestial sculpture.
Broad shoulders that seemed capable of holding up the sky. Sleek muscles defined by divine geometry, not bulky, but flowing with latent power.
His skin glowed with faint starlight, and his wet silver hair clung to his chest and shoulders, framing a face that was too beautiful for the mortal realm.
Xiao Ling's brain short-circuited. Her eyes went wide, her face turning the color of a ripe cherry.
"Ahhh...!"
Her scream shattered the morning calm, echoing down the hallway.
"You bastard! You scoundrel! Have you no shame?!"
SLAP!
Her hand moved on pure instinct. Panic and embarrassment overrode her logic. Her palm connected with Shen Xuan's cheek with a resounding crack.
Bang!
Shen Xuan blinked.
He stood there, frozen. He felt the stinging sensation on his left cheek. He was utterly bewildered.
In his billions of years of existence, he had faced armies of demons.
He had stared down Void Beasts the size of galaxies. He had battled wrathful gods who threw stars as weapons.
None had ever slapped him.
"What...?" he whispered, the concept alien to him.
"How dare you!" Xiao Ling shrieked, covering her eyes with her hands but peeking through the gaps in her fingers.
"Cover yourself!"
Shen Xuan's eyes narrowed. The confusion vanished, replaced by a cold, instinctive dominance.
His hand shot out.
His cold fingers closed gently around Xiao Ling's wrist firm enough to stop her, but soft enough not to crush her fragile mortal bones.
"Xiao Ling."
He stepped forward. He forced her back. She stumbled, her back hitting the wall of the corridor with a soft thud.
He slammed the door shut with his free hand, sealing them in the semi-darkness of the hallway.
The air instantly tightened.
A suffocating stillness spread like an invisible cage. The temperature dropped ten degrees.
Xiao Ling, startled by the sudden closeness and the oppressive aura he released, looked up in terror. She was not pushed, but she felt pinned by his sheer presence.
Shen Xuan loomed over her, half-lit by the soft morning light leaking through the window at the end of the hall. Water dripped from his hair onto her shoulder.
His eyes...
They were no longer the eyes of a boy. They were cold. Ancient. Abyss-like voids that promised eternal silence.
"Xiao Ling," he spoke softly, but each word carried the weight of mountains collapsing. "Do not raise your hand against me again."
A faint trace of killing intent escaped him. It was thin and restrained, a mere sliver of his true power, but it was terrifying enough to make the wooden floorboards tremble and the dust motes in the air freeze in place.
Xiao Ling couldn't breathe.
Her heart pounded wildly against her ribs like a trapped bird. She felt like a rabbit standing in the shadow of a dragon.
Yet, as the pressure faded, she slowly lowered her hands from her face... and her gaze drifted.
Just a glance.
Shen Xuan's flawless, youthful physique was sculpted like jade. His smooth, silvery hair clung to his skin, highlighting the definition of his collarbone. His features were so perfect they almost looked unreal, a painting come to life.
He's only thirteen... fourteen...? How can someone look like this...!?
Her cheeks reddened against her will. The fear mixed with a sudden, overwhelming shyness.
Seeing her reaction, Shen Xuan exhaled lightly. He realized she was just a mortal girl, reacting with mortal sensibilities. He calmed himself. His killing intent faded completely, replaced by his usual frosty indifference.
"...Why did you come?" he asked, releasing her wrist.
Xiao Ling snapped out of her trance. She puffed up her cheeks, trying to regain some dignity, and glared at him.
"You....! You can't just open the door like that in broad daylight!" Her voice was filled with embarrassment and hesitation. "And.... and wear something! At least cover your body fully.... next time!"
Shen Xuan raised a brow. "You slapped me first."
"That... that's because....!....!"
She stammered, unable to find the words.
"I....!"
She became furious, embarrassed, and helpless all at once. "You can't just look like that and expect people not to react! It's... it's indecent!"
Shen Xuan blinked slowly. "I see."
He didn't see. To him, the body was merely a vessel for the Dao. Shame was a construct of the weak. But he decided not to argue with the illogical nature of this era.
Xiao Ling groaned in embarrassment. She thrust the storage ring toward his chest, unable to meet his eyes.
"He... Here! This is for you! Clothes, and I prepared everything you asked for last night! Just take it!"
Shen Xuan took the ring silently.
Xiao Ling huffed and stood up straight. Before leaving, she paused at the end of the hallway, her cheeks still tinted pink. She threw one last look at him.
"For the record... I wasn't scared." She muttered stubbornly, trying to salvage her pride. "...Just surprised."
Shen Xuan's lips curved into a faint, unreadable smile. It was a rare expression, softening the ice of his features.
"Mn... I understand."
That only made her face redder.
She stomped out, fleeing the scene of her embarrassment.
The door closed behind her.
Silence returned.
Shen Xuan looked at the ring in his hand... then softly shook his head.
"Women," he murmured, turning back to his room. "A riddle even the Grand Dao cannot solve."
An Hour Later
Shen Xuan dressed fully in the white robes Xiao Ling had brought. They were of high quality, woven from Spirit-Cloud Silk, fitting him perfectly. He walked toward the gallery and entered the dining room.
The restaurant hall of the Cloud Rest Inn was quiet in the early morning. It was filled only with the soft clatter of utensils and the faint aroma of steamed spiritual grains.
Shen Xuan sat alone at a corner table. His posture was straight, his temperament calm yet distant. He radiated an aura of elegance so profound that other patrons instinctively gave him a wide berth, sensing that to sit near him was to trespass on sacred ground.
The waiter, trembling slightly under Shen Xuan's gaze, placed a few vegetarian dishes before him: Spirit Lotus Soup, Cloud-Mist Greens, and a bowl of White Jade Rice infused with faint life energy, along with a cup of Spirit Tea.
Simple food. Common food.
Shen Xuan picked up the chopsticks slowly.
As he ate, his mind drifted inward.
Chaos Seed Realm... he thought, analyzing the state of his new body. My foundation is still too weak. I can sense the sealed fragments of my true Dao slumbering deep within my soul, like broken stars waiting to ignite again. Yet the moment I tried circulating even the first layer of the 'Eternal Chaos Scripture' last night, my meridians trembled violently.
If I force it, this mortal-grade physique will collapse instantly. I am a dragon trying to fly with the wings of a sparrow.
He suppressed a sigh. Even someone like him, a being who once held the mandate of heaven, had to start from the beginning.
"How ironic..." Shen Xuan whispered to himself, picking up a grain of rice. "A ruler of Chaos, eating mortal-level food... rebuilding from scraps."
He wasn't angry. He wasn't frustrated. But deep within, an ancient flame burned. It was quiet, suppressed, and terrifying.
Just as he lifted the bowl again, heavy footsteps approached the entrance.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Four figures entered the restaurant. They wore robes embroidered with a black serpent pattern. Their auras were arrogant, heavy, and unrestrained, flooding the room with aggressive Qi. The surrounding guests lowered their heads immediately, recognizing the insignia.
The Black Serpent Sect.
Their leader, a young man with a cruel scar marring his handsome face, paused mid-step. His eyes scanned the room, bypassing the terrified mortals and locking sharply onto the silver-haired figure in the corner.
Behind the counter, Xiao Ling paled instantly. She dropped the rag she was holding.
Oh no... the Black Serpent Sect... why are they here today...!? And they are looking at him!
The black-robed young man smirked. He walked over, his boots clicking loudly on the wooden floor.
"So," he drawled, his voice loud enough to carry to every corner of the room. "This is the boy who crippled Ji Yu yesterday? Hmph... he looks fragile. Like a porcelain doll. How did he manage to cripple a Chaos Lord's protector? Did he use a hidden weapon? Or perhaps a poison?"
Shen Xuan didn't even look up at them. He continued eating silently, picking up a piece of green vegetable, as though the four men didn't exist. To him, they were less than air.
The young man's expression turned cold. The veins on his forehead bulged. Being ignored was a new insult for him.
"Boy, I'm talking to you."
He slammed his hand onto Shen Xuan's table. The bowls rattled. The tea rippled.
Shen Xuan finally raised his eyes... slowly.
They were calm. Unbothered. Bored. It was the look a human gives to a buzzing fly.
"You are too noisy," he said softly, placing his chopsticks down with precise movements. "Sit and eat together, or leave. You are disturbing my meal."
The entire restaurant froze.
Xiao Ling covered her mouth to stifle a gasp.
He... he actually said that to them...!
The black-robed young man's face twisted in fury. His aura flared, knocking over a nearby chair.
"You dare...?!" he roared, reaching for the hilt of his sword. "Do you know who I am?!"
Shen Xuan stood up. His robes flowed like liquid light. His eyes shimmered with a faint, dangerous golden-violet light.
"Either sit," Shen Xuan whispered, the air around him beginning to distort, "or kneel. I do not repeat myself."
"I do!" the young man shouted, drawing his blade.
A faint ripple of power shook the air, not from cultivation, but from pure, condensed intent.
But before the violence could erupt, a terrifying pressure suddenly descended upon the inn from the outside.
BOOM.
The roof tiles groaned under an invisible weight. The air grew heavy as lead, pressing everyone in the room into their seats. The tea in Shen Xuan's cup ceased to ripple, frozen by the sheer density of the aura outside.
Someone powerful was coming. Someone far beyond the level of these petty thugs. And their spiritual sense was locked directly, unmistakably, onto Shen Xuan.
Shen Xuan paused. He sat back down. He picked up his tea, took a slow sip, and looked at the door of the inn with a faint, intrigued smile.
"Finally," he whispered, his voice cutting through the oppressive silence. "The real guests have arrived."