The moment Ling Tian spoke, the atmosphere in the Bladefang headquarters cracked with tension. The mercenaries held their breath, Hu Lie's face white with terror. They were about to witness a Golden Core (Ling Tian, concealed as Early Immortal Foundation) challenging a Nascent Soul expert from the most powerful local faction, the Jade Lake Palace.
The Nascent Soul Elder, his face contorted in disbelief, roared with laughter. "An insect challenges a dragon? You think your low-realm strength can withstand the pressure of a true Immortal Stage cultivator?"
He unleashed his full Early Nascent Soul Realm spiritual pressure. The air solidified, and the room's meager spiritual lamp flickered violently.
Lin Yue, hiding behind Ling Tian, groaned as the pressure bore down on her injuries.
Ling Tian, however, remained rooted to the spot. His Perfect Golden Chaos Core acted as a silent anchor, its quality so supreme it casually nullified the sheer quantity of the Elder's power.
"Your pressure is weak," Ling Tian dismissed, his voice a cold whisper. "It lacks substance. You rely on sheer volume."
The Elder, enraged by the insult, forgot all caution. He drew a shimmering, high-grade artifact sword—the Azure Serpent Blade—and aimed a powerful thrust at Ling Tian's head.
"Die, arrogant fool!" the Elder bellowed.
The Primordial Chaos Defense
Ling Tian did not bother dodging. He knew that the moment he moved, the mercenaries would scatter, and Lin Yue would be caught. He had to end this confrontation decisively and quickly, without revealing the full annihilating power of his Primordial Chaos Palm.
As the Azure Serpent Blade neared his face, Ling Tian executed a technique he hadn't used since leaving the Seven-Heaven Realm: Chaos Aegis.
He channeled a focused burst of his Golden Chaos Core energy into a minuscule, invisible shield around his head.
CLANG!
The sound was deafening. The high-grade Azure Serpent Blade struck the unseen Aegis, and instead of slicing through, the blade snapped into two pieces, its Immortal Qi completely extinguished by the touch of the Primordial Chaos energy.
The Nascent Soul Elder stared at his broken weapon in utter disbelief, his mind short-circuiting. An Early Golden Core cultivator had shattered his Nascent Soul artifact with his face!
"Impossible!" he shrieked.
"Your artifact is fragile," Ling Tian corrected, seizing the opportunity.
Crushing Defeat
Before the Elder could react, Ling Tian moved. He didn't use a flashy technique. He used the simple, deadly Primordial Chaos Imprint (Bab 22), concentrating a lethal dose of chaos energy directly onto the Elder's Dantian.
WHUMP!
The Elder staggered backward, his eyes wide with incomprehension. He felt a sudden, devastating void where his nascent soul should be. The chaos energy hadn't killed him; it had instantly crippled his cultivation, shattering his Nascent Soul and reverting him to a mere mortal.
The Elder collapsed, clutching his chest, his face contorted in agony and shock.
The two remaining Jade Lake guards immediately tried to flee, but a silent command from Ling Tian's core—a simple spiritual pressure—crushed their knees, forcing them to the ground.
Ling Tian stood over the crippled Elder, retrieving the broken halves of the Azure Serpent Blade.
"Inform the Jade Lake Palace," Ling Tian commanded the kneeling guards, his voice ice-cold. "This is what happens when you disturb my territory. Your Elder is now dust. Take his body, and tell your superiors that the Chaos Sect is open for business."
The guards, terrified beyond measure, snatched up the crippled Elder and fled the town like frightened rabbits.
Hu Lie and the Bladefang Mercenaries slowly picked themselves up from the floor, their eyes fixed on Ling Tian with a mixture of terror and fierce loyalty. They hadn't joined a mercenary crew; they had joined an absolute warlord.
Lin Yue, still recovering, looked at Ling Tian with a calculating gaze, recognizing that his power was not merely strong, but fundamentally different from the Immortal Realm's known cultivation.