A horrifying silence fell over the meeting room. The Chairman's lifeless body had collapsed to the floor, his severed head tossed to the side. At the sight, all the Guild Masters, frozen in shock and fear, scrambled to hide behind Wu Zixian. Their eyes were all on Xu Liangchen, who in that moment looked less like a boy and more like vengeance personified.
Xu stared at Wu Zixian with an unsettling calm, his eyes burning with rage. Wu Zixian roared, "How could you do such a thing, you brat! This is the last straw. Prepare yourself, for your death is at hand!" He instantly raised his hand, and a massive bolt of lightning was forged into a sword in his grasp.
The ensuing clash was so violent that the Main Headquarters shook and its walls cracked. Everyone panicked and scattered, desperate to save themselves. Wu Zixian swung his sword at Xu with all his might. But with surprising agility, Xu grabbed both the sword and Wu Zixian's arm at the same time. The sword's energy fizzled out in Xu's hand, and Wu's arm was torn off with a sickening crunch.
Wu screamed in agony and flew into a fit of rage. "LIGHTNING BREATH!" he roared. The resulting explosion tore the entire headquarters apart, leaving nothing but a pile of rubble. As the smoke and dust cleared, an unbelievable sight was revealed: Xu Liangchen, gripping Wu Zixian's neck with one hand, holding him suspended in the air.
Gasping for air, Wu kicked desperately to free himself from Xu's grasp and retreated. But he didn't stop. He summoned a dozen bolts of lightning from the sky, absorbing them all into his body and transforming into a new, glowing form—the result of what seemed like a nuclear fusion reaction. His entire body was covered in electricity, and a blue energy surged from his eyes. He attacked Xu with immense force. The two figures collided in mid-air, a blinding flash of light engulfing the sky. The battle was devastating beyond imagination.
It was young Xu Liangchen who landed the final blow. His punch instantly shattered Wu Zixian's electric body. Xu had killed him with his own hands. The resulting explosion caused a city-wide power outage in Beijing. After the battle, Wu Zixian's lifeless human form lay on the ground, his chest and legs torn apart. Xu Liangchen approached him, a deadly aura radiating from his eyes. From his lips came only two words: "Imperial March."
With this command, the soul of the fallen Wu Zixian returned. And when he looked at Xu, he saw not a boy, but Darkness itself.
Wu Zixian's shattered body lay lifeless on the ground. Xu Liangchen, radiating a bloody and lethal aura, approached it. Everyone was frozen in place; this young boy had not only destroyed China's strongest hunter but had done it with his own hands. Xu gave Wu's body one last look, and a chilling command escaped his lips: "Imperial March."
These words were more than just sounds; they were like a spell. The soul of the deceased Wu Zixian rose from his body and floated toward Xu. As Wu's soul looked into Xu's eyes, it saw not a child, but Darkness itself. At that moment, a system notification appeared:
(Notification: Skill Activated)
(Notification: Battle of Wills Commencing)
Wu Zixian's soul tried to resist Xu's will. He struggled to reclaim his power, to not surrender to this terrifying force. But Xu's dark aura was so overpowering that Wu's final resistance broke and scattered like a wave. The battle was brief, and when Wu's soul accepted defeat, another notification appeared:
(Notification: Soul Submitting)
Wu Zixian's soul instantly obeyed Xu and appeared behind him like a shadow. Xu Liangchen smiled at his new slave and gave him a new name: "Zyphros." In this way, Wu Zixian's soul was sealed, and he became Xu Liangchen's first general.
But Xu was not one to be content with this. He was consumed by an insatiable hunger for power. All the hunters in China were no longer a threat or an enemy to him, but potential soldiers for his new army. Xu began to travel all over China, killing every hunter he came across. He added their souls to his shadow army, controlling them like puppets. He initially built an army of 5,000, with each shadow soldier being a master hunter in their own right.Xu knew that even this army was not enough. His goal was not just to take over China, but to become the most powerful being in the world
Xu's lust for power was insatiable. Even his 5,000-strong shadow army wasn't enough for him. His goal wasn't just to take over China but to become the absolute ruler of the world. To achieve this, he knew he had to increase his power even further, and the path to do so lay in conquering the most dangerous dungeons.Without wasting any time, he set his sights on China's most legendary dungeons. He systematically cleared them, one after another: Tartaros, the mythical underworld dungeon where souls suffered; Styx, the gate to the world of the dead; Erebos, the home of creatures who ruled the darkness; Yggdrasil, where the sacred tree was protected; and finally, the Blood-Written Cathedral, where blood rituals were performed. While each of these dungeons, with their monsters and traps, was a deadly threat to normal hunters, for Xu and his shadow army, they were mere training grounds.With each conquered dungeon, he added the power of the defeated monsters and spirits to his army. In this process, Xu not only grew stronger himself but also expanded his shadow army to a colossal size. His army, which started with 5,000, grew exponentially as he cleared the dungeons, eventually transforming into an immortal force of 50,000 soldiers, each a master in their own right.
Time flew by like water. Xu Liangchen was no longer the 13-year-old boy he once was. At the age of 19, his body was muscular, and his posture was that of a confident monarch. He wore a custom-made, stylish black suit and polished Oxford shoes. One of his most striking features was an elegant yet intimidating dragon tattoo that covered his entire right arm. He was no longer just a hunter; he was the commander of a massive army of 50,000. His hunger for power had made him a ruthless and unstoppable leader.
However, as Xu's rise continued, the world was shaken by a new threat. An epic dungeon called the Abyss of Doom had opened in Brazil. The World Hunter Association reported that all of Brazil's local hunters were being hopelessly defeated by the dungeon's monsters, and the situation was spiraling out of control. In response to this crisis, the world dispatched its two most powerful Z-rank hunters, Travis Kane from the USA and Hiroto Kurogane from Japan, to provide support in Brazil.
As Xu Liangchen was plotting his next move, a new crisis erupted across the globe. Deep within the lush green forests of Brazil, a legendary dungeon called the Abyss of Doom had suddenly opened. This dungeon was different from the others; the creatures that emerged from its gate were so powerful that all of Brazil's local hunters were helplessly defeated. The chaos and disorder spread rapidly, and the dungeon's power began to take over the entire country.
The gravity of the situation quickly caught the attention of the World Hunter Association, and an emergency was declared. The only people who could counter this threat were the world's strongest hunters. To support Brazil, two of the three Z-rank hunters in the world were assigned to the mission: America's pride, Travis Kane, and Japan's legendary swordmaster, Hiroto Kurogane.
The world's eyes were locked on the arrival of these two heroes in Brazil. Brasília International Airport was witnessing an unprecedented commotion. Special security guards and forces had sealed off the entire terminal, and a convoy of luxury Vitos waited at the gate. Journalists, giants of the world media, and curious crowds vied to follow the event firsthand.When the moment arrived, two private jets seemingly tore through the sky as they landed at the airport. When the door of the first jet opened, out stepped America's strongest hunter, Travis Kane. With his tall, muscular, and confident demeanor, he commanded everyone's attention. Immediately after, the door of the second jet opened, and Japan's strongest hunter, Hiroto Kurogane, appeared. He possessed a calm, silent aura, with an intelligence that shone from his eyes. The union of these two Z-rank hunters was not just a meeting it was a spectacle that the entire world watched with bated breath