The news of the massacre in Wu Tan City spread through the Jia Ma Empire like a wildfire fueled by gale-force winds. In less than twenty-four hours, every major power—from the Imperial Capital to the distant alchemist hubs—had heard the same impossible report: An eleven-year-old youth from the Xiao Clan had crippled three Misty Cloud Elders and executed a Clan Leader with a single stomp.
But while the world whispered in fear, Xiao Chen was already moving. He didn't want to wait for the "Three-Year Agreement." To his 8x Neural Processing, waiting three years for a resolution was an inefficient use of his lifespan.
"Uncle, stay and rebuild," Chen said to Xiao Zhan as he stood at the clan gates. "Yan-er and I have an appointment with a mountain."
Xiao Yan, now a 9-Star Dou Zhe thanks to Yao Lao's grueling training, stood beside Chen. He looked at his cousin's back—a back that seemed wide enough to hold up the sky. "Brother Chen... are we really going to the Misty Cloud Sect now? Their Sect Leader is a Dou Huang, and they say they have an Ancestor who is even stronger."
Chen turned, a shark-like grin playing on his lips. "Yan-er, when you have a hammer like me, every problem looks like a very breakable nail. Let's go."
The Supersonic Flight
Chen grabbed Xiao Yan by the collar. He didn't use Dou Qi wings—those were for people who played by the rules of physics. Instead, he funneled 8x-Multiplied Physical Strength into his legs.
BOOM!
The ground beneath the Xiao Clan gate shattered into a crater as they launched into the sky. They didn't fly; they were a projectile. The air friction began to heat up, creating a glowing green shroud around them.
Inside Chen's sleeve, the Seven-Colored Python hissed in excitement, its small head peeking out to taste the high-altitude winds.
"BROTHER CHEN! MY FACE IS MELTING!" Xiao Yan screamed over the roar of the sonic boom.
"Close your eyes and circulate your Qi, Yan-er!" Chen shouted back. "We'll be there in ten minutes!"
The Misty Cloud Mountain: The First Barrier
The Misty Cloud Sect sat atop a majestic peak, surrounded by a sea of clouds that had remained undisturbed for centuries. Today, those clouds were ripped apart by a jade-green streak of light.
Chen and Yan landed on the Thousand-Step Staircase, the primary entrance to the Sect. The impact sent a tremor through the entire mountain, ringing the Sect's warning bells automatically.
DONG! DONG! DONG!
Hundreds of disciples in white and blue robes swarmed the stairs, led by several internal elders.
"Who dares intrude upon the Misty Cloud Sect?!" an elder barked.
Chen stepped forward. With every step, the 8x Soul Pressure he emitted grew heavier. The disciples at the front of the line began to tremble; some even fell to their knees, their lungs struggling to draw air in the presence of his aura.
"I am Xiao Chen of the Xiao Clan," he said, his voice quiet but echoing through the mountain as if spoken by the earth itself. "I am here to collect a debt of blood and a debt of pride. Out of my way, or the mountain gets shorter today."
"Impudent brat! Formation! Cloud-Mist Sword Array!"
Three hundred disciples drew their swords, their Qi linking together to form a massive, ethereal sword of white mist in the sky. It was a technique capable of killing a Dou Wang (King).
Chen didn't even draw a sword. He simply raised his right hand, his fingers glowing with the Green Lotus Core Flame he had assimilated in the desert.
[Skill: 8x Void-Shattering Palm]
He struck the air. A massive, jade-colored palm print, thirty meters wide and wreathed in green fire, manifested instantly. It didn't just clash with the Sword Array; it erased it. The ethereal mist-sword shattered into sparks, and the three hundred disciples were sent tumbling down the stairs like a deck of cards.
The Face-off with the Sect Leader
"Enough!"
A streak of blue light descended from the highest peak. Yun Yun landed on the stairs, her face pale, her eyes wide with recognition and a deep, underlying dread. She looked at the devastation on the stairs, then at the boy she had met in the cave.
"Xiao Chen..." she whispered. "You... you reached the Da Dou Master peak already? And this power... it's not possible."
"Senior Yun Yun," Chen said, his golden-slit pupils softening slightly. "I told you I was a fast learner. I have no quarrel with you, but your elders attacked my home. Your disciples insulted my kin. I want Yun Shan to come out and answer for it."
The crowd gasped. Yun Shan was the Ancestor—a Dou Zong (Ancestor) level expert. To call him out by name was the ultimate blasphemy.
"The Ancestor is in seclusion," Yun Yun said, her hand gripping her sword hilt. "Chen, please. Don't do this. If you move further, I will have no choice but to fight you."
Chen took a step forward, the ground cracking under his heel. "Then, Senior, I hope your sword is sharper than it was in the mountains. Because I'm not an Alchemist today. I'm an Executioner."
The Awakening of the Ancestor
The atmosphere on the mountain turned frigid. A terrifying pressure erupted from the peak, a gray-colored Qi that turned the very sunlight dim.
"Who is the little ghost seeking my death?"
An old man with white hair and eyes like cold ash materialized in the air. He didn't use wings; he stood on the air itself. Yun Shan. The Dou Zong.
He looked at Chen, his eyes narrowing. "A 9-Star Da Dou Master? No... your life-force is too dense. You have the foundation of a dragon. Boy, surrender your secrets and your soul, and I might let the Xiao Clan live as my slaves."
Chen laughed. It was a cold, sharp sound that sent shivers down the disciples' spines.
"System," Chen whispered. "The 8x multiplier is enough for a Dou Zong, right?"
[Infinite Doubling System]
Analysis: Host's 8x Physicality matches a 1-Star Dou Zong.
Soul Advantage: Your Earth-Realm Soul is superior to the target's.
Probability of Victory: 89% (100% if Seven-Colored Python assists).
"Yun Shan," Chen said, pointing his finger at the sky. "You've lived too long in this little bird's nest. Today, I'm going to show you that the world doesn't belong to the old. It belongs to the Infinite."
Chen's body erupted in a pillar of emerald-gold light. The [Heavenly Green Armor] didn't just cover his body; it expanded, forming a gargantuan phantom of a jade-colored warrior behind him.
The battle for the empire had begun.