The thugs were dumbfounded. Seeing that they were still hesitant, Chu Yan frowned and lightly tapped his foot against the ground.
BOOM!
A massive crater instantly caved in beneath him.
"Eek! Here! I'll give you the money!!"
The thugs immediately pooled their cash and handed it over. Looking at the measly sum—less than 5,000J in total—Chu Yan didn't complain and simply stuffed it into his pocket.
"Um... can we go now?" they asked cautiously. After walking the dark streets for so long, they had finally run into a real monster. They had assumed a mission client wouldn't be a wizard, but the person in front of them was clearly a powerhouse.
Chu Yan pointed at the one who had talked the most earlier. "You, lead the way. I'm going to the Phoenix dark guild."
"Y-yes! Boss!"
Dark guilds were usually well-hidden. Without a local to guide him, it would have taken quite some time to find.
"Boss, that's it—the Phoenix guild," the guide said, pointing ahead.
"Uh... are you sure this is the place?" Chu Yan looked at the relatively well-preserved building in the center of the city. Weren't dark guilds supposed to be secretive?
"It's definitely here. That used to be a government office, but after the evacuation, Phoenix occupied it as their new headquarters."
"Fine, you can leave." Chu Yan began walking toward the building.
"Halt! Who are you? Outsiders aren't allowed here." As he reached the entrance, two guards stepped forward to block his path.
"——!"
Bam! A shockwave suddenly erupted, sending both guards flying.
Chu Yan then clenched his fist. Hum—! A transparent white halo condensed around his knuckles. He took a "knocking" stance and gave the air a gentle tap.
"——!"
Crack, crack!
BOOM!!
The front gates of the Phoenix guild were pulverized instantly, and a massive hole was blown through the opposite wall inside.
"Waaaaah!!!"
"Aaaaagh!!"
"Who is it?! Who dares cause trouble at the Phoenix guild? Do you have a death wish?"
With his hands in his pockets, Chu Yan walked inside with steady steps. Once inside, he spoke calmly: "Phoenix guild? A few days ago, you 'took care' of some members of my Fairy Tail guild, didn't you?"
"Fairy Tail? Oh? You mean those weaklings? They didn't have the skill to protect people and tried to stop us from finishing a job. We only broke their limbs; they should be grateful we didn't kill them," a man in his forties—seemingly the leader—remarked dismissively, as if he had performed an act of great mercy.
"Kid, you dare come here alone? Are you looking to die?"
"Boss! This kid looks familiar! Ah!! He's the one with the 350 million J bounty on the black market! Fairy Tail's strongest S-Class Wizard, the 'Humanoid Natural Disaster,' Chu Yan!"
"WHAT?!" Everyone gasped, instinctively taking a step back. A man's reputation follows him like a shadow; although Chu Yan kept a low profile, his title was famous.
"Don't be afraid! That title is just legal guild hype! If we kill him, we get 350 million J!!"
The members of dark guilds were mostly cruel and greedy. At the mention of the bounty, their fear turned into murderous intent.
"Attack!!"
"Phoenix Fire!"
"Ice Blizzard!"
"Flamingo!" ...
Everyone surrounding Chu Yan unleashed their magic at once.
Chu Yan shook his head. "As I thought, you're all beyond redemption. Today, this guild is erased from existence."
His eyes sharpened. A pale white pressure halo instantly expanded from his body, reflecting every incoming spell. The attacks slammed back into the casters, sending them flying.
BOOM!! The headquarters of Phoenix collapsed entirely.
"Waaaaah!!"
"Gwaaaaah!!" ...
Chu Yan then kicked off the ground—Whoosh!—soaring into the air. He flipped mid-air so he was falling head-first, charging his right fist. Hum—!! A brilliant pressure halo lit up his knuckles as he struck downward with everything he had.
"——!"
Crack! Crack! The space in front of his fist fractured into dense, spider-webbed fissures.
"What?!" The leader of Phoenix actually had some skill. Although injured by the first shock, he was still conscious—just in time to feel the overwhelming pressure descending from the sky.
"No, NOOOO—!!!"
BOOM!!!
Centering on the guild, the ground within a two-hundred-meter radius shattered. The entire city began to shake violently, drawing screams from the remaining residents. When the tremors subsided, a crater dozens of meters deep sat where the guild hall once stood.
"If you can survive that, then I'll consider your lives spared." He turned and left. At the end of his training, he had received a message from Makarov. Some members had been severely injured, their limbs broken, and the Master was furious.
Chu Yan felt the same. Having spent years in the guild, every member was family. If you dare harm his family, you must be prepared to be erased.
"Has it been half a year? I was away longer than usual this time. Luckily, the harvest was significant. I can rest for a long time once I get back."
He had originally intended to train for a month, but as he was finishing, he had a sudden epiphany and spent six months in deep cultivation. It was only after coming out that he heard the news, which soured his mood. Wiping out the culprits had finally cleared his chest.
This was his seventh year in this world. Seven years of bitter cultivation led him to let out a sigh of relief: "I've finally grasped the direction of my Awakening. It really wasn't easy."