In the courtyard alone,
Shen Xuan, sitting, couldn't help but sigh.
Although he was very cold toward others, he himself longed for love and trust.
But what had happened to his clan, not only them but the entire Chaos at that time, made his heart even colder.
Because he felt that no matter what, unless someone betrayed his Shen clan, it would not be easy to destroy it.
Thinking of his life, before being sealed, he was about to turn twenty-six years old.
However, even so, before he was born, he had been in the womb for more than ten thousand years, and the moment he was born, he was already in the early stage of the Chaos Dao Realm.
And his sister, who was his twin, was the same.
For the next five years, their cultivation was sealed, and he studied normally in the clan. Until the age of fifteen, he spent most of his time learning alchemy and formations, and after the age of sixteen, he was mostly on the battlefield, far beyond the Sea of Chaos, where countless people, not only from his clan but from the entire Chaos, fought against those creatures to protect their homeland.
And while he was still in battle, he was directly called by his father and sealed. As for what happened after that, he did not know, especially now after seeing that the ancestral land of his clan had been destroyed to such an extent.
He simply couldn't believe that anyone could destroy the strongest clan in the entire Chaos, whether they attacked from the front or the back.
After all, according to the cultivation levels of the Chaos, there were many ancestors in the Chaos Dao Origin Realm; not to mention, the strongest person in the entire Chaos, his father, who had reached the Quasi-Sovereign Realm, had died.
Furthermore, it happened on their home ground, where his father and mother could perform a fusion technique that surpassed the power of the Quasi-Sovereign Realm. Even if he were told they died, he might not have believed it; but after seeing his father's obsession disappearing into the void and hearing that his mother had died too, he, Shen Xuanji, could hardly believe it.
To his knowledge, destroying the soul of his father at that level was almost impossible, yet even the remaining obsession had vanished.
Shen Xuan felt that everything he used to cherish was already gone.
He looked at the sky and remembered what happened today.
Coming out from his world into this unknown, unfamiliar plane that was only a middle-level world.
To his knowledge, even in his previous life, he had never been to such a low-level plane. He was mostly in top-level planes or in the Chaos Sea.
Today, when he came out of that world and spoke, he himself felt that he was quite arrogant. Although this cannot be ruled out, before being sealed, there was no being who had ever spoken disrespectfully to him. And that was not arrogance, but rather the pride deeply buried in the bones of Shen Xuan, after living like a supreme in his era of Shen Domination.
Looking at the dark night filled with countless stars, a tear fell from the corner of his eye.
After being silent for a long time, he finally spoke to himself:
"One day, I will definitely let you live again, Father… Mother."
His gray eyes turned pure golden-purple, and his cold face burned with the determination to change the world.
"Alas… everything is futile if I don't have the strength."
Removing those thoughts from his messy mind, Shen Xuan walked toward his room and went to sleep. Although he wanted to cultivate, he knew it was better not to be hasty; otherwise, what he had done before being sealed, something powerful enough to challenge the entire Chaos alone, would be void. Even a single mistake would not only ruin his life but also the lives of many people related to him.
So, he must not make haste.
On the bed, he finally placed a formation seal around the entire room and went to sleep.
Next Day
The night passed in silent stillness, and a new dawn slowly unfolded over Heiyun City. The gentle rays of the sun brushed the rooftops as the world awakened once more.
Shen Xuan opened his eyes, feeling the faint stir of chaos energy in the air.
"Huh… a new day and a new beginning of life."
At this moment, Shen Xuan finally felt how refreshed he was from last night's rest.
Some time later.
Knock… knock…!
Just as he came out after a bath, bare-chested, there was a knock on the door of his room.
Yawning, he walked toward the door and opened it with a flick…
The moment he opened it, a beautiful face appeared in front of him.
It was Xiao Ling, holding a storage ring in her hand and standing in front of Shen Xuan's room.
Xiao Ling, raising her head, looked at Shen Xuan, who was wearing only a single wrap of cloth from the waist down and nothing else. She was terrified and screamed.
"Ahh…!"
"You bastard… you scoundrel…!"
"You... you have no shame..!" Xiao Ling, seeing Shen Xuan opening the door bare-chested, screamed out of embarrassment.
Slap!!!
Bang…!
Then, without wasting a second, a red palm mark appeared on the left side of Shen Xuan's face.
"What…?" Even Shen Xuan, who was just relaxing, felt the slap on his face and was confused by her action.
"How dare you....!" Angered by the slap, Shen Xuan extended his hand, held her wrist tightly, and looked coldly at her.
Shen Xuan's cold fingers closed gently around Xiao Ling's wrist—firm enough to stop her, but soft enough not to harm her.
Before she could react, he stepped past her and shut the door behind them with a low, heavy thud.
The room instantly tightened.
A suffocating stillness spread like an invisible cage.
Xiao Ling, startled by the sudden closeness and the oppressive aura he released, stumbled backward and fell against the wall. Not pushed, just overwhelmed by his presence.
Shen Xuan stood before her, half-lit by the soft morning light leaking through the window. His long, wet silver hair dripped down his shoulders, his fair chest still faintly steaming from the bath.
His eyes…
Cold.
Ancient.
Abyss-like.
"Xiao Ling," he spoke softly, but each word carried the weight of mountains, "Do not raise your hand against me again."
A faint trace of killing intent escaped him, thin and restrained, but terrifying enough to make the wooden furniture tremble.
Xiao Ling couldn't breathe for a moment. Her heart pounded wildly.
Yet as the pressure faded, she slowly lowered her hands from her face… and her gaze drifted.
Just a glance.
Shen Xuan's flawless, youthful physique, sculpted like jade…
His smooth, silvery hair clinging to his skin…
His features so perfect they almost looked unreal…
He's only thirteen… fourteen…? How can someone look like this…!?
Her cheeks reddened against her will.
Seeing her reaction, Shen Xuan exhaled lightly, calming himself. His killing intent faded completely, replaced by his usual frosty indifference.
"…Why did you come?" he asked.
Xiao Ling snapped out of her trance, puffed up, and glared at him.
"You....! You can't just open the door like that in broad daylight!" Her voice was filled with embarrassment and hesitation. "And.... and wear something, at least cover your body fully.... next time!"
Shen Xuan raised a brow. "You slapped me first."
"That... that's because....!....!"
"I....!"
She became furious, embarrassed, and helpless all at once. "You can't just look like that and expect people not to react!"
Shen Xuan blinked slowly. "…I see."
Xiao Ling groaned in embarrassment, covering her face with her hands, but still peeking through the gaps in her fingers.
Finally remembering why she came, she thrust the storage ring toward him.
"He... Here! This is for you! Clothes, and I prepared everything you asked for last night!"
Shen Xuan took it silently.
Xiao Ling huffed and stood up. Before leaving, she paused at the door, her cheeks still tinted pink.
"For the record… I wasn't scared." She muttered stubbornly, "…Just surprised."
Shen Xuan's lips curved into a faint, unreadable smile.
"Mn... I understand."
That only made her face redder.
She stomped out.
The door closed.
Silence returned.
Shen Xuan looked at the ring in his hand… then softly shook his head.
Women... a riddle even the Heavens cannot solve.
After that, he dressed fully, walked toward the gallery, and entered the dining room where he started to eat alone.
The restaurant hall was quiet in the early morning, filled only with the soft clatter of utensils and the faint aroma of steamed spiritual grains.
Shen Xuan sat alone at a corner table, his posture straight, his temperament calm yet distant and full of elegance—so distant that no one dared to sit within three tables of him.
The waiter placed a few vegetarian dishes before him: Spirit Lotus Soup, Cloud-Mist Greens, and a bowl of White Jade Rice infused with faint life energy, along with a cup of tea.
Simple food.
Common food.
Yet calming.
Shen Xuan picked up the chopsticks slowly.
As he ate, his mind drifted.
Chaos Seed Realm… this body's foundation is still too weak.
He could sense the sealed fragments of his true Dao slumbering deep within his soul, like broken stars waiting to ignite again. Yet the moment he tried circulating even the first layer of his original cultivation technique, his meridians trembled violently.
If I force it, this mortal-grade physique will collapse instantly.
He suppressed a sigh.
Even someone like him had to start from the beginning.
"How ironic…" Shen Xuan whispered to himself. "A ruler of Chaos, eating mortal-level food… rebuilding from scraps."
He wasn't angry. He wasn't frustrated. But deep within, an ancient flame burned, quiet, suppressed, and terrifying.
Just as he lifted the bowl again, footsteps approached.
Four figures entered the restaurant. Their auras were arrogant, heavy, and unrestrained. The surrounding guests lowered their heads immediately.
Their leader, a young man in a black-patterned robe, paused mid-step.
His gaze fixed sharply on Shen Xuan.
Xiao Ling, rushing from behind the counter with a tray, paled instantly.
Oh no… those people… why are they here today…!?
The black-robed youth smirked.
"So this is the boy who crippled Ji Yu yesterday? Hmph… looks fragile. How did he manage to cripple him?"
Shen Xuan didn't even look up at them. He continued eating silently, as though the four didn't exist.
The young man's expression turned cold when he saw that Shen Xuan was not paying attention to them.
"Boy, I'm talking to you."
Shen Xuan finally raised his eyes... slowly.
Calm.
Unbothered.
"You are too noisy," he said, placing his chopsticks down. "Sit and eat together, or leave."
The entire restaurant froze.
Xiao Ling's hands trembled.
He… he actually said that to them…!
The black-robed young man's face twisted in fury.
"You dare...?!"
Shen Xuan stood up, his eyes shimmering with a faint golden-violet light.
"Either....!"
"I do."
A faint ripple of power shook the air.
And at that moment, a terrifying pressure suddenly descended outside the inn.
Someone powerful was coming. And they were looking for Shen Xuan.
Shen Xuan, taking a sip of tea, sat back while staring at the door of the inn.
_____
C'mon support author guys...by commenting how the story is going on and ps.