The news of the total annihilation of Dragon Abyss City spread faster than a death curse. Within mere hours, it wasn't just the cultivators who trembled; every Emperor in the Mortal Realm lost their appetite. A magnificent city, lined with jade and protected by ancient formations, erased from the map? By a single man?
"Absurd! Dragon Abyss possessed an Earth-grade protective formation powered by ten thousand high-quality spirit stones! Even a Heavenly Dragon would need three days to breach it!" roared the Sovereign of the Azure Empire. His voice echoed through the grand hall, a futile attempt to drown out the fear creeping into his chest.
But in the corner of the room, an old advisor in tattered robes collapsed. His body shook uncontrollably, eyes staring vacantly at the sky which still bore the faint, lingering stains of pitch-black energy.
"It was no dragon... it was no natural disaster..." the advisor whispered hoarsely. "Something far worse has returned. The Heavens are punishing us for allowing that monster to wake from his slumber. The balance of the world was shattered with a single flick of his fingers."
Meanwhile, the "Monster" himself was leisurely washing his hands in the secluded lake.
Hao Tian stared at his reflection in the water. Still young, handsome, and looking remarkably... innocent. There were no lines on his face to suggest he was an entity who had just discarded thousands of souls into the void without blinking.
"Heh, the water is too clear. Boring and lacking character," Hao Tian murmured. He touched the surface with a fingertip, and instantly, the crystal-clear lake water turned into a deep, visceral crimson. The metallic scent of blood filled the air, but Hao Tian inhaled it deeply, as if it were the finest incense. "There. Much better. Far more artistic."
Suddenly, he felt a ripple in the energy—not from the Ninth Heaven, but from the dense forest behind him.
"One, two, three... ah, ten uniformed insects have arrived." Hao Tian didn't bother to turn around. He continued to play with the blood-red water, letting droplets of crimson fall from his fingertips.
From behind the trees, ten figures in pristine white robes emerged, radiating holy light. On their chests was the emblem of a golden sun—the symbol of the Heavenly Enforcers.
"Hao Tian! In the name of the Supreme Law and the Will of the Heavens, you are found guilty of the mass slaughter of Dragon Abyss!" the leader stepped forward, wielding a massive blade made of sacred metal. "Surrender now! If you resist, your soul will be extracted and sealed in the Eternal Prison beneath the deepest crust of the earth!"
Hao Tian finally stopped playing with the water. He stood up slowly, straightened his black robes, and turned. He looked at the ten men with a gaze full of pure boredom, as if they were nothing more than flies interrupting his rest.
"Arrested?" Hao Tian tilted his head, feigning deep thought. "Interesting. I've only just woken up from a very long sleep, and you're already offering me free lodging? My apologies, but my tastes are quite high. Your eternal prison... seems a bit too cramped and stuffy for someone like me."
"Impudent! You are but a remnant of darkness that should have been extinguished long ago!" the leader shouted, his face flushing with rage. "Light-Sealing Formation! Attack!"
The ten Enforcers moved with flawless precision, creating a chain of golden light that locked the space around Hao Tian. The air became as heavy as lead, freezing every movement. This was a formation that could render even a mid-tier Immortal helpless.
Hao Tian stood still. He drew no weapon. He didn't even take a stance. Instead, he simply walked forward, strolling through the searing energy net as if it were a mere spiderweb.
"Do you know the fundamental difference between an insect and a human?" Hao Tian asked casually. Each step he took sent cracks spider-webbing through the ground.
"What do you mean?!" the leader was horrified to see the formation having zero effect.
"An insect... is too stupid to know when to scurry away when they see the giant foot that is about to crush them," Hao Tian took a short breath. "And you... are the stupidest insects of all."
BOOM!
Without moving a muscle, Hao Tian released a fraction of his Qi. A shockwave of black energy exploded from his body, shattering the golden chains into meaningless shards of light. The gravitational pressure in the area increased a thousandfold.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
The sound of shattering bones echoed in unison. The ten Enforcers instantly hit the dirt, their knees smashing into the ground with enough force to pulverize the bedrock. They were forced into a violent kowtow, their foreheads slammed into the mud that was now rapidly turning into a crater.
"Argh! What power... how is it possible for a mortal... argh!" the leader struggled to lift his head, but an invisible weight slammed his face back into the bloody slush.
Hao Tian walked calmly among the broken bodies. He stopped directly in front of the arrogant leader.
"What was it you said? Eternal prison?" Hao Tian crouched down, grabbing the man's hair to force eye contact. His red eyes glinted under the fading sun. "How about we trade? You can enter a prison of my making... though mine is a bit more crowded and full of screams."
"No... please... mercy..."
"Shhh... don't be loud. You should feel honored. You'll be the first collection in my Thousand Realm to celebrate my rebirth," Hao Tian swiped his hand through the air with elegant poise.
A pitch-black dimensional rift tore open beside him. From within, the stench of decay and the distant wails of millions of suffering souls—the people of Dragon Abyss—leaked out.
"Step inside. There are many new friends waiting. Oh, do give them my regards," Hao Tian gave a friendly smile that was terrifying enough to stop a man's heart.
Without mercy, the rift swallowed the ten Enforcers whole. The sound of their bones snapping under dimensional pressure lasted only a second before silence returned.
Hao Tian stood up, dusting off his robes. "Ten insects in a single breath. I suppose old man Shangdi truly insults me by sending such low-quality toys. Hey, Old Man! If you intend to kill me, at least send something that can make me break a sweat! Don't send trash unless you want me to send it back to your doorstep!"
Above, the sky thundered violently, but the vibration was different. It wasn't the thunder of courage; it was the tremor of a hidden fear.
Hao Tian laughed again, his maniacal cackle shaking the Mortal Realm's foundation. He was finished with this lake. A new target had appeared in his mind.
"Thirty days, huh? Enough time to make this world remember the meaning of terror," he murmured. "I hear the Eternal Sun Sect possesses the 'Eternal Chalice' that can grant endless life? I think that would make an excellent teacup for my morning tea."
With a single step, Hao Tian's form faded into the shadows, leaving behind a lake of blood that was already beginning to freeze from his lingering chill.
Hao Tian reappeared at the base of a mountain whose peak seemed to pierce the heavens. The mountain radiated a blinding golden light, enveloped in the purest Yang aura. At its summit stood the magnificent Eternal Sun Sect, one of the three strongest orthodox sects—the so-called "Right Hand of the Heavens" in the mortal world.
Hao Tian walked casually up the thousands of marble steps. In his hand, he held a dry, withered tree branch he had picked up along the way.
"This place... is still noisy with the stench of hypocrisy," Hao Tian muttered, casually scratching his ear with one hand.
At the main gate, twenty elite guards in golden armor stood tall. Each was a Core Formation expert. To a mortal, they were gods. To Hao Tian, they were mere pebbles stuck to his sandal.
"Halt, beggar!" shouted one guard, seeing a youth with messy hair and blood-stained black robes. "This is the sacred ground of the Eternal Sun Sect! Low-lifes like you are forbidden!"
Hao Tian stopped. He looked the guard up and down. "Beggar? My, your eyes must be cataracts from staring at the fake gold of this sect for too long."
"Impudent! Do you know who you are speaking to?!" The guard leveled his spear, its tip glowing with sacred fire. "Leave now, or your head will decorate this gate!"
Hao Tian chuckled—a quiet, calm laugh that made the guards' skin crawl. "My head? It's quite expensive, boy. You couldn't afford it with the lives of all your ancestors combined."
Hao Tian took one step forward.
DUM!
A massive tremor shook the marble stairs. The guards stumbled, nearly falling from the sudden pressure radiating from the youth.
"I'm only here for one thing," Hao Tian said, pointing toward the peak with his dry branch. "I heard your leader has the 'Eternal Chalice.' I'd like to borrow it for my tea. Go tell him an 'old friend' is here to visit."
The guards burst into laughter. "Borrow the Eternal Chalice? Hahaha! Are you insane? That is a sacred relic gifted by the upper gods! Who do you think you are?!"
"Oh, so it's a 'no' then?" Hao Tian sighed deeply, feigning disappointment. "And here I was trying to be polite. But fine... I've always preferred the... rougher way."
Hao Tian swung the dry branch in his hand with a lazy, sweeping motion toward the massive gate.
SLAASHH!
A thin black line cleaved through the air. A split second later, the massive gate—forged from mystical alloy and said to be impenetrable—was sliced perfectly in half. The resulting energy blast sent the twenty guards flying like ragdolls, their golden armor shattering before they could even scream.
"Oops. Was the branch too strong?" Hao Tian looked at the twig in his hand, which had now crumbled into ash.
He stepped over the smoldering ruins. Inside, thousands of disciples swarmed like ants from a kicked nest. They surrounded him in complex battle formations. From their midst, an old man in flamboyant golden robes emerged—the Grand Elder.
"Who are you?! How dare you destroy our sacred gate!" the Grand Elder roared, his voice shaking the valley.
Hao Tian's smirk widened. "Me? Just a thirsty passerby. And I noticed your sect has a rather nice cup."
"Die, thief!" The Grand Elder unleashed the Great Sun Palm. A gargantuan hand of fire descended from the sky, threatening to flatten everything.
Hao Tian didn't dodge. He simply raised his right hand, pointing his index finger at the fiery palm.
"Disperse."
POOF.
The monstrous hand of fire vanished instantly, like a candle blown out by a child. No explosion. No impact. Just... gone.
The entire Eternal Sun Sect fell into a deathly silence. The Grand Elder trembled, his arrogant face turning as white as a sheet.
"You... you aren't human... what are you?!"
Hao Tian walked up to the Grand Elder, who had collapsed because his legs had turned to jelly. Hao Tian patted the old man's shoulder kindly—terrifyingly kindly.
"My name is Hao Tian. Remember it well, old man. Don't mispronounce it when you reach the afterlife," he whispered into the elder's ear.
Hao Tian looked up toward the main palace at the highest peak. "Come now, old fossil Shangdi... watch. Day one, and I am already breaking your favorite toys. Twenty-nine days left. I do hope you don't have a heart attack up there."
Hao Tian walked calmly toward the main palace, leaving behind thousands of disciples who were too paralyzed with fear to even breathe as he passed.