The silence in the Cloud Rest Inn did not merely happen. It was enforced.
It began as a subtle vibration in the floorboards, then escalated into a crushing atmospheric density that made the very air feel like mercury.
The chatter of the patrons died instantly, choked off by an instinctive, primal fear.
Three figures materialized at the entrance, stepping out of the night like reapers.
To the left and right stood two middle-aged men.
Their robes were embroidered with the silver serpents of the Ji Clan Elders, but it was their eyes that held the true threat. They were cold, detached, and scanning the room with the precise, mechanical lethality of veteran executioners.
In the center stood a woman in a dress the color of fresh arterial blood. Tang Rou. Her beauty was undeniable, but it was the beauty of a poisoned blade.
Her chaotic energy did not explode outward; it coiled around her like a suffocating python, silent and deadly.
The scarred youth, leader of the Black Serpent disciples, fell to his knees, his forehead striking the floor with a dull thud.
"Great Elder... Second Elder... Matriarch. We have found him. The one who harvested the Young Master's eyes."
He pointed a trembling finger toward the corner table.
Tang Rou's gaze followed the finger. It locked onto Shen Xuan.
At that moment, Shen Xuan was lifting a piece of Cloud-Mist Green to his lips. As the gaze of three Chaos Lord realm experts slammed into him, his hand paused.
Crack.
A hairline fracture appeared on the porcelain cup in his other hand.
Shen Xuan did not look up immediately. Internally, his meridians were screaming. His current body, merely at the Chaos Seed Realm, was like a paper boat trying to sail through a hurricane.
The pressure of the Great Elder alone was enough to pulverize his bones.
He was not bored. He was calculating. If he showed even a flicker of weakness, these wolves would tear him apart instantly. He had to be an ocean that refused to ripple.
He forced his hand to remain steady.
He placed the vegetable in his mouth, chewed slowly, and swallowed. Only then did he turn his head.
His golden-purple eyes met Tang Rou's murderous gaze.
He didn't glare. He looked at her with the detached curiosity of a scholar observing a rabid dog behind a cage.
"You..." Tang Rou's voice was a whisper that carried across the room, sharp as a needle. "You are the one?"
She took a step forward.
The floorboards groaned.
"I will not kill you quickly," she promised, her voice devoid of hysteria, replaced by a terrifying calm.
"I will flay the skin from your body, inch by inch. I will use your screaming soul to refine a pill to heal my son's vision. And when you beg for death, I will feed your remains to the abyssal swine."
Shen Xuan ignored the threat.
He turned his head slightly, looking past the terrifying Matriarch to the trembling waitress hiding behind the counter.
"Miss Xiao Ling," he said. His voice was calm, but there was a strain in it, a tightness that only a master could detect.
"You have guests. Why have you not arranged chairs? It is rude to keep such... elderly people standing."
The Great Elder, Ji Yun, narrowed his eyes.
He was a cautious man. He had expected the boy to beg, to flee, or to attack in desperation. Instead, the boy was insulting them.
Why? Ji Yun thought, his spiritual sense probing Shen Xuan.
He has no cultivation base to speak of. Is he a fool? Or is he bait? Is there a guardian hiding in the void?
The uncertainty made him pause. But Tang Rou was a mother whose son had been mutilated. She possessed no such caution.
"Kill him!" she commanded.
The Second Elder moved. He didn't rush. He simply released his aura fully.
BOOM.
The pressure inside the inn multiplied tenfold. It was no longer a mountain; it was a collapsing sky.
The heavy oak tables splintered into sawdust. Patrons at nearby tables didn't even have time to scream; they fainted instantly, blood leaking from their ears as their internal organs were compressed.
Shen Xuan sat in the eye of the storm. His white robes fluttered violently, and the chair beneath him creaked, threatening to shatter. His face remained impassive, but a sheen of sweat appeared on his brow.
He was using every ounce of his willpower, burning his own blood essence just to keep his spine straight.
This body is too weak, Shen Xuan thought, a cold fury rising in his heart. In my prime, a mere glare would have erased their entire bloodline.
Now, I must endure this indignity.
Behind the counter, Xiao Ling, a mere Mortal Fragment cultivator, couldn't withstand the shockwave.
"Puff!"
She fell to her knees, blood spraying from her lips, her face turning ashen as the life force began to drain from her terrified eyes.
Shen Xuan froze.
He looked at the innocent girl collapsing under the weight of a war she had no part in.
Something inside him snapped.
The calculation vanished. The need for survival vanished. In its place, the ancient pride of the Shen Clan roared to life.
He looked back at the Ji Clan. The golden-purple light in his eyes dimmed, replaced by a void so dark it seemed to devour the light in the room.
"Do you..." Shen Xuan whispered. His voice was soft, but it bypassed the ears and echoed directly in the souls of everyone present. "...have a death wish?"
Ji Yun felt a chill run down his spine. For a split second, looking at this powerless boy, he felt like he was staring into the mouth of a primordial abyss.
"He is bluffing!" Tang Rou shrieked, sensing the Elder's hesitation.
"He is trash! Die!"
She raised her hand. Her fingers curled into a claw, and a crimson mist coalesced into a spectral skull, screaming as it flew toward Shen Xuan's throat.
It was a Soul-Corroding Art.
She didn't just want to kill him; she wanted to shred his reincarnation.
Shen Xuan did not move to dodge. He couldn't. His body was locked by the pressure.
Instead, he closed his eyes.
Burn.
Deep within his soul, the dormant fragment of his past life's Primordial Soul ignited.
It was a dangerous gamble.
Using it now would damage his soul, setting his cultivation back by years. But he would not die here.
His eyes snapped open.
A ripple of pure Intent shot out. It was not Qi. It was the majestic, terrifying weight of a Sovereign who had once ruled the Chaos.
It hit Tang Rou's spectral skull.
Shatter.
The skull disintegrated.
The Intent continued, slamming into Tang Rou like a physical warhammer.
"Puff!"
Tang Rou froze mid-step. Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed to her knees, vomiting a mouthful of blood mixed with visceral fragments.
It wasn't an attack on her body; it was an execution of her spirit. For a split second, she saw a vision of a giant sitting atop a throne of galaxies, looking down at her as if she were dust.
"Matriarch!" The Second Elder shouted, rushing to catch her.
Ji Yun's face went pale. Soul Intent? How can a boy possess the Soul Intent of an above divine soul? Who is he?!
Panic warred with greed. If the boy was this dangerous, he had to die now, before he grew up.
"All of you, attack! Kill him at all costs!" Ji Yun roared, drawing a black blade that pulsed with murderous light.
He lunged, intending to decapitate Shen Xuan before any hidden guardian could intervene.
Shen Xuan watched the blade come. He had no energy left. He sat still, his eyes cold, accepting the outcome.
If I die, I will detonate my soul. I will take this entire city with me.
But the blade never reached him.
A new pressure descended. This one was not wild or chaotic. It was vast, controlled, and absolute.
"How dare you."
The voice boomed from everywhere and nowhere, shaking the foundations of the inn.
"The Ji Clan dares to act so presumptuously in my Heiyun City?"
CLANG.
Ji Yun's blade stopped inches from Shen Xuan's nose, blocked by an invisible wall of force. The backlash sent the Great Elder skidding backward ten meters, his feet carving deep grooves into the wood.
The crushing gravity of the Ji Clan vanished instantly.
Three figures appeared in the center of the room, shimmering into existence.
Xiao Ding, his face pale with worry. Gui Ran, looking ready to die. And in front of them, a man in vermilion robes, his hands clasped behind his back, floating inches above the floor.
City Lord Hei Yan.
Ji Yun steadied himself, his hand trembling on his sword hilt. He looked at the City Lord, his expression twisting into a snarl.
"Hei Yan," Ji Yun growled, his voice dripping with menace. "Step aside. This brat crippled the Heir of the Ji Clan. This is a blood feud. Does Heiyun City intend to declare war on the Ji Clan for the sake of a nameless stray?"
Hei Yan looked down at them with cold, imperial eyes. The air around him crackled with lightning.
"War?" Hei Yan laughed, a sharp, humorless sound that cut like glass. "Ji Yun, you senile old fool. Is it Heiyun City seeking war? Or is it the Ji Clan, who ignores the Iron Law of my city? No fighting within the walls."
He took a slow step forward.
"You attack my guests. You destroy my inns. You threaten my rules."
Hei Yan leaned in, his voice dropping to a terrifying whisper.
"If the Ji Clan wants war... Heiyun City will accompany you to the very end. I will burn your ancestral hall to the ground and sow your fields with salt. Do you want to test me?"
The threat hung heavy in the air, thick with the scent of ozone.
Ji Yun clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. He looked at the unconscious Matriarch, then at the overpowering City Lord, and finally at the silver-haired boy.
The boy had picked up his tea again. His hand was shaking slightly, but he was drinking.
Ji Yun realized he had lost. Not because of power, but because of the unknown. The boy was an anomaly. The City Lord was a wall.
"Hmph." Ji Yun sheathed his blade with a violent snap.
"Hei Yan. The Ji Clan will remember this debt."
He gestured to his subordinates, his voice tight. "We leave."
"Great Elder!" Tang Rou, recovering her senses, shrieked as she was helped up by the Second Elder. "Are we leaving? He crippled my son! He humiliated us! We cannot.."
Ji Yun spun around, grabbing her arm with bruising force. His eyes were wide with a mixture of fury and genuine fear.
"If you wish to die," he hissed into her ear, "do not drag the clan into the grave with you. Can you not see? That boy used Soul Intent. He is a monster in human skin. We leave. Now."
He dragged her out, the Black Serpent disciples scrambling behind them like beaten curs.
The inn was silent again, save for the ragged breathing of the survivors.
At the doorway, Tang Rou pulled her arm free. She turned back, her face a mask of twisted hatred. Her eyes locked onto Shen Xuan.
"So," Shen Xuan said, breaking the silence. He placed his cup down. The crack in the porcelain finally gave way, and the cup split in two. "You are the mother of Ji Yu?"
"You little bastard," Tang Rou spat, blood dripping from her chin. "Even if the Clan will not act, I will. My Tang family will hear of this. I will spend every coin I have to buy your head."
Her gaze shifted to Gui Ran, who stood behind Shen Xuan, head bowed.
"And you," she sneered. "My husband gave you life. He entrusted you with our son. And you? You betrayed us. You watched as he was crippled. Are you not afraid of the heart-demon oath? Are you not afraid of dying like a traitorous dog?"
Gui Ran flinched. Shame colored his face. He opened his mouth, but the weight of his guilt silenced him.
"Mrs. Ji," a calm voice interrupted.
Shen Xuan tapped his finger rhythmically on the table. Tap. Tap. Tap.
"It seems you are misinformed," Shen Xuan said, his tone conversational, as if discussing the weather.
"He pledged his loyalty to me not for his own life, but for your son's. If he hadn't... you would not be mourning a crippled son. You would be burying a headless corpse."
He looked at her, his eyes cold and empty.
"Forgive me for interrupting. Please, continue your tantrum. It is quite entertaining."
Tang Rou stared at him, her mouth agape. The sheer dismissal, the absolute lack of fear, left her speechless. She gave one last, hateful glare that promised murder, and stormed out into the night.
Hei Yan watched them go until their auras faded. Then, he turned. He walked over to Shen Xuan's table and sat down uninvited.
He waited for a full minute, studying the boy. He saw the sweat on Shen Xuan's brow. He saw the tremor in the hand. He realized the boy had been bluffing with his life on the line.
"I wonder," Hei Yan asked softly, "what is the name of this fellow genius?"
Shen Xuan took a deep breath, stabilizing his chaotic internal energy. He picked up the water pitcher, drinking directly from it.
"Me?" He looked up, the exhaustion hidden behind a mask of arrogance.
"Yes. What is the Young Master's name?" Hei Yan's tone was respectful now. He respected strength, but he respected courage and cunning even more.
Shen Xuan set the pitcher down. His posture shifted.
The casual air of a local youth vanished, replaced by an ancient, regal dignity. He sat straighter, his shoulders squaring, his chin lifting.
Even Xiao Ding and Gui Ran felt the change. The King had returned to his throne.
"Senior Hei," Shen Xuan said, his voice resonant.
"My name is Shen Xuan. Shen as in Divine. Xuan as in Mysterious. Together... the Divine Mystery."
"Shen Xuan..." Hei Yan repeated, tasting the karma attached to the name. "A good name. Arrogant, but you seem worthy of it."
"Thank you, Senior Hei, for intervening," Shen Xuan said, clasping his fists together. He did not bow. "Had you not appeared, I would have been forced to burn the city to save myself."
Hei Yan froze. He looked into Shen Xuan's eyes and realized the boy wasn't joking.
"Young Master Shen is... direct," Hei Yan said carefully. "Enforcing the rules is my duty."
Shen Xuan nodded. "Rules or not, you stepped in. For that, Shen thanks you."
Hei Yan leaned forward. "Young Master Shen, do you plan to stay in Heiyun City long?"
"For now," Shen Xuan replied. "I intend to visit Lingchuan Hall. This city is a temporary stop."
Hei Yan's expression turned thoughtful. "Lingchuan Hall... Then your path is treacherous. The Ji Clan has deep roots there. They will not forget today. And the Tang family... they are assassins."
"Let them come," Shen Xuan said, his voice dropping to a glacial whisper. "As long as they do not cross my bottom line... I will let them live. But if they step over it..."
He let the silence finish the sentence.
Hei Yan stood up. "Very well. As long as you are within the walls of Heiyun City, no one will touch you openly. That is my promise."
"I accept Senior Hei's goodwill."
Hei Yan turned to leave. He paused at the entrance, speaking over his shoulder.
"One more thing. If the Ji Clan sends assassins in the dark... I will pretend not to see. A sword must be tempered in blood, after all. Consider it a test."
With that, he vanished.
Silence returned to the inn.
Xiao Ding exhaled, wiping sweat from his brow. "Young Master... that was close. The City Lord values you, but he is also using you."
Shen Xuan looked at the empty doorway, his eyes deep pools of ancient starlight. He felt the ache in his soul from the forced exertion. He felt the fragility of his existence.
"Not me," he whispered, shaking his head. "He values the monster he thinks I will become."
He looked down at his trembling hands and clenched them into fists.
I am too weak. I need power. I need it now.