And without realizing it, dark clouds above the skies of the Phoenix Empire's capital began to gather—right above where Xiao Chen lay.
"Damn it, why is there a Heavenly Punishment?!"Feeling threatened, the veiled man chose to retreat from the area where Xiao Chen had fallen.
At this moment, he stared at the mass of black clouds, as if the heavens themselves were enraged by their actions.
What the veiled man did not know was that the two devastating blows that had struck Xiao Chen's body had already shattered the meridian seal within him.
Now, the Qi of heaven and earth converged and slowly flowed into Xiao Chen's body. However, Xiao Chen was completely unaware of this process, as his soul consciousness had sunk into the depths of his own subconscious realm.
Within the pitch-black subconscious world, a faint golden light suddenly appeared, forming a tiny star that hovered in the sky of his inner realm. The star slowly emitted golden mist before transforming into a beautiful girl with long flowing hair, gazing at the soul before her.
"Are you my master? No… no way. How could my master be a lazy youth like you?"
"Who are you? Am I already dead?"
"Dead? Hahahahaha! You don't even recognize your own subconscious world? How lazy can you be?"The girl's expression was openly mocking.
Hearing her explanation, Xiao Chen did not get angry at all. He merely asked calmly,"Then how do I return to the real world? My entire family has been slaughtered by unknown enemies."
"Hah—just you? Did I hear that right?" she laughed. "What's your name? And why do I sense that your bloodline is a pure Phoenix lineage?"
"What does bloodline have to do with this?"
"What a pity. Such a pure bloodline, yet you've wasted it completely…"She paused before continuing, "Tell me—if you possessed high cultivation, what would you do next?"
Xiao Chen fell silent. He recalled the unexplained deaths of his parents and his uncle's sacrifice. Without cultivation, what meaning did his life still hold?
Opening his eyes, Xiao Chen answered with unwavering resolve,"I would take revenge for my parents!"
"And who exactly are your parents?"
"Xiao Lang. Ling Fei."
The Stellar Soul widened her eyes in shock. Those two names were deeply familiar to her, though she could not recall what kind of connection she had with them.
Regaining her composure, she said,"Very well. How about this—what if I take control of your body and avenge your family for you? In exchange, you become my disciple."
"Y-you can do that?"
She smiled faintly and let out a soft sigh."They're nothing but trash. What do I have to fear? But can you accept the consequences?"
"I don't care what the consequences are, as long as Master can avenge my family!"Xiao Chen immediately knelt down, showing his acceptance of the Stellar Soul's decision.
"Very well."
Swuuuuuuuuung!
Her figure suddenly vanished, then reappeared right before Xiao Chen, extending her palm toward him.
High above the skies of the Phoenix Empire, something astonishing occurred. The Heavenly Punishment raging across the firmament finally unleashed its overwhelming power.
BOOOOOOM!
Countless strands of lightning converged and struck Xiao Chen's body, obliterating the surrounding buildings into rubble.
When the Heavenly Punishment subsided, the mysterious man witnessing the scene could only shake his head.
"Xiao Lang… Xiao Lang… Even your son, who couldn't cultivate, has to die under Heavenly Punishment. If you could see this, then surely—"
His words abruptly stopped as he realized that the figure he was speaking of had stood back up.
Not only that—he sensed Xiao Chen's cultivation aura skyrocketing at an unimaginable speed! He could no longer determine the boy's cultivation realm at all.
"S-such a thing is actually possible?!"Nearly scared out of his wits, the man tried to confirm what he was sensing. Reality rendered him completely speechless.
"Xiao Chen, I will show you what it feels like to become unmatched!"
His voice grew deep and heavy. In the next instant, Xiao Chen vanished from sight and reappeared behind the mysterious man.
BOOOOOOOM!
With a single punch, the man who had previously beaten Xiao Chen exploded into a mist of blood.
This caused hundreds of other veiled men to rush toward Xiao Chen.
"Isn't he Xiao Lang's son—the one who couldn't cultivate?"
"Since when could he fly without Qi wings?"
"What in the world is happening?!"
All the veiled men were utterly confused. Yet the same fate soon befell them—Xiao Chen vanished again, only to reappear and slaughter them one by one with his bare hands.
BOOOOOOM! BOOOOM! BOOOOM!
In mere seconds, continuous explosions echoed across the sky as bodies were blasted into bloody mist by Xiao Chen's fists. At this moment, Xiao Chen—controlled by the Stellar Soul—truly looked like a merciless monster.
"Xiao Chen, are you satisfied?"She asked within his mind.
This moment of hesitation gave the last surviving man a chance to attempt an escape.
"I… I don't know…"Xiao Chen felt disgusted seeing his first act of killing.
"Xiao Chen, this is exhilarating!"
'E-exhilarating? Killing is exhilarating?'
"Hey, foolish man—where do you think you're going?"
Xiao Chen vanished again and reappeared, blocking the path of the last remaining man. The man was utterly terrified upon seeing Xiao Lang's son grinning widely.
"P-please! Spare me! Please!"
"Xiao Chen, this man is the key. He knows who killed your parents and who orchestrated the attack on your family. Do you want me to kill him, or interrogate him yourself?"
'Let me do it!'
BOOOOOOM!
Delivering a restrained punch, Xiao Chen sent the man crashing to the ground. The Stellar Soul then returned control of the body to Xiao Chen.
Upon regaining consciousness, Xiao Chen mustered his courage and stepped on the man's face.
"Tell me—who ordered you?! And do you know who was behind my father's and mother's deaths?!"
The man was stunned by the change in Xiao Chen's voice, enduring intense pain while sensing the instability in the youth's cultivation aura.
"Speak!"
Xiao Chen pressed his foot down harder. Just as the man was about to say something—
A streak of Qi suddenly shot through the air, detonating the man's body into pieces.
BOOOOOOOM!