The silver light only lasted for a short instance, space around him forming a viscous cocoon around him as he was flung through space. Once the light vanished and the cocoon dissipated, Liang Chen found himself standing in a small clearing, surrounded by tall trees that had gnarly white bark and leaves like needles. The trees weren't as tall as the ones in the Mystic's Hidden Realm, but they were all still around 100 meters high.

Liang Chen gave the surroundings a quick sweep, taking in the sights. The earth beneath him was rather soft and somewhat moist, but the strange formation that was carved in the ground beneath him didn't seem to be affected by this. Cutting through the forest ahead of him was a small path that was so narrow that it only had space for a single person.

The path led into the distance, through the forest and to a massive mountain located ahead of him. The mountain was far taller than anything Liang Chen had ever seen before, easily hundreds of kilometers tall and thousands of kilometers wide, completely dominating his vision. The mountain wasn't barren, trees and colorful plants that Liang Chen had never seen before covering almost every inch of the mountain.

But something he found even more shocking was how the mountain was split open. The mountain was split open diagonally, as if a massive sword had tried to slice the mountain in twain but failed. Because of this, there was a gargantuan valley that split the peak of the mountain in two and then continued down the entire mountainside, forming a diagonal valley one had to ascend if they wished to reach either of the mountain peaks.

Located at the two peaks of the mountain were two large palaces, one surrounded by six spires and one surrounded by three spires. There was nothing else around him, so Liang Chen guessed that this massive mountain was where the Storm Wolf sect was located.

Liang Chen calmly started to follow the narrow path, vigilantly surveying his surroundings as he moved, not allowing the slightest hint of life or movements to escape his notice. The path through the forest wasn't too long, so after walking for a little over two hours, Liang Chen left the forest and arrived at the foot of the mountain.

He gazed up at the mountain, his gaze landing on the gargantuan valley that went diagonally up the mountain. While most of the valley was overgrown with plants, a strange silver light occasionally peeking out from beneath the grass, the most distant part of the valley, the part that was closest to the two palaces, had buildings carved into the sides of the valley, showing that there were clearly people living there. The narrow path he took out from the forest continued up the valley, so it was clear that he had to continue following it.

Liang Chen once again swept the surroundings with a quick glance, but there weren't any people, or any other living beings for that matter, in the area. For a sect as large as this to not have any living beings in the area was something Liang Chen found strange, so his vigilance quickly rose, his right hand opening slightly, staying on the ready in case he needed to bring out his spear.

His eyes narrowed as the viscous Qi within his body started to speed up, ready to burst out at a moment's notice. He slowly started to make his way up the diagonal valley, his narrowed gaze slowly sweeping over his surroundings. If there was one thing he had learned after getting in contact with the cultivation world, it was that one could never be careful enough when it came to surviving in this cruel world. After all, you only had the one life, you had to take care of it.

He continued to make his way through the valley, following the narrow path with slow and careful steps. Because of his vigilance, Liang Chen didn't even use any of his Qi to increase his speed like he normally did, causing his speed to drop by quite a bit. Because of this, even after he spent six hours walking, he hadn't even reached the halfway point of the valley, still far away from where there were signs of people living.

But Liang Chen was both patient and determined, so his vigilance hadn't dropped the slightest, not even after the six uneventful hours. And it was because his vigilance hadn't dropped in the slightest that he was able to react the moment the earth around him burst open.

The ground around the path exploded outwards, around 20 people jumping out from the earth. The people were all clad in brown robes and wore masks that looked like red-skinned demons with four tusks growing out of their maw. Of the 20 people, half had reached the middle stage of the Heaven's Gate realm, while the other half had reached the early stage of the Heaven's Gate realm.

Half the group was surrounded by a stream of brown energy, while the other half was surrounded by a stream of green energy. Liang Chen recognized the first stream as Qi of the earth element, while the other was Qi of the wood element, two elements that completely countered his lightning element. He immediately understood that this was how they had managed to avoid his senses, preventing him from sensing the electricity in their bodies.

He made a mental note to keep this in mind for the future, maybe even try to work on creating another technique to scan his surroundings as a counter-measure. But despite the fact that he was scanning the group and making this mental note at the same time, he didn't forget to spring into action.

His ashen spear appeared in his right hand, the handle scorched and distorted from having to endure the high heat of his lightning. All his Qi instantly burst out, blowing away all the dust and loose earth that now flew through the air after the ground burst open. Azure lightning and violet dust started to dance around him, a horrendous bloodlust covering the group of people around him.

This bloodlust was something that had grown naturally inside Liang Chen after having gone through so many battles and killed so many people. Even if he didn't intend to kill the people he was fighting, this bloodlust would instinctually come out. If he was trying to kill them, his bloodlust would turn into killing intent, instilling instinctual fear in opponents weaker than him.

But even then, Liang Chen's bloodlust was already plenty terrifying. He had the bloodline of the Heaven Devouring Dragon, a true Origin Beast that was born alongside an entire universe, and he had killed very many people, despite his short cultivation time.

It might not do much against others at his level, but the 20 people around him actually froze up because of the bloodlust, showing that they didn't have much experience with actual battles. Liang Chen took a step forward, piercing out with his spear once. He then took another step forward and pierced out with his spear again, a low voice resounding within his heart.

"First step shatters the body."

Surrounded by 20 people who had a cultivation that was either at his level or higher, Liang Chen did not dare hold too much back. The only thing he held back was his bloodline, not activating it. Using the Dragon Lord's Three Steps was not enough for others to figure out that he had the Heaven Devouring Dragon bloodline, as it was only a technique, there could be many others that were very similar. But the moment he activated his bloodline, anyone who knew about the Sebettu would instantly learn of his bloodline and his race.

But just as his attack was about to launch, he noticed that the body shape of one of his assailants looked oddly familiar. His expression immediately distorted as he tensed all the muscles in his right arm, forcing his attack to changed direction, aiming it directly into the sky.

A thick bolt of azure lightning that had a deep violet and highly poisonous coating around the tip roared out from the tip of his spear, sounding like a dragon as it shot into the sky, creating a loud boom as it shattered the sound barrier and unleashed a shockwave that just barely missed the surrounding people, who were now almost completely frozen in fear and shock.

The force of the attack, plus the fact that he had to forcibly change the direction of his spear, proved too much for his already weakened spear, as it exploded in his hand, sending wooden and silver shrapnel flying through the area.

Luckily, Liang Chen had started his training of the Lightning God Physique with the bone marrow in his right hand. Even though it was only his bone marrow that was strengthened, the blood that this new bone marrow produced served to slowly strengthen the rest of his body, familiarizing it with the technique. Because of this, his hand didn't get mangled from the shrapnel that his spear turned into.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Liang Chen's eyes landed on the familiar shape, which was now trying to scurry away and hide behind the other masked people. Liang Chen clenched his hand, his Qi mixing with the air in the area, stopping the time of the air. It was not realistic for him to be able to stop the time of these 20 people, all who were at his cultivation level or higher. But if it was just stopping the time of the air around them, that was something he could do.

They would be able to break that stopped time by applying enough force, but it would take them about one second or so. And for Liang Chen to cross the necessary distance, about five meters, one second was far more than he needed.

He took a step forward, the earth beneath his foot cracking as azure lightning danced around him, leaving a blue trail behind him as he turned into a blur. He instantly shot past the figures in front of him, arriving at the side of the familiar person, stopping the time of the air beneath his feet, allowing him to stand in the air. He stretched out an arm and grabbed onto the person's neck, lifting them up and using his other hand to rap them on the head, causing a low yelping to escape that person's lips.

"Au!"

Liang Chen ignored the exclamation, continuing to rap the person on the head with his knuckles, causing them to produce more yelping sounds. The 19 other people, who had by now already broken free of the frozen air around them, couldn't help but stop when they saw this scene, completely dumbfounded. Liang Chen rapped the person on the head a few more times before finally stopping, removing the person's mask and letting out a sigh.

"Yan Ling, you are an idiot."

With the mask removed, Yan Ling's grimacing face was revealed. With Liang Chen lifting her up by the neck, Yan Ling couldn't even escape, all she could do was curl up and use both of her hands to cover her face, scowling at Liang Chen and letting out an unsatisfied exclamation.

"Can't you handle a prank, Little Freak? Is there really a need to handle me this roughly, I'm a delicate girl you know!?"

Noticing that he wasn't going to rap her on the head anymore, Yan Ling stopped shielding her head, continuing to scowl at Liang Chen, who responded by raising an eyebrow and looking her up and down.

"Delicate girl? I remember you handling me pretty roughly while we were in the hidden realm, throwing me around like a ragdoll."

Back when they first met, she threw him around without regard, she didn't even use any wind to slow down his speed. Also, comparing his current treatment of her with the fact that she might have died if he hadn't changed the direction of his attack, he found that he was being gentle enough. Yan Ling seemed to take offense to how he looked at her, clearly mocking her statement of being a delicate girl.

"But I was very gentle as I did it! You didn't receive a single injury or experience any pain, did you?"

Yan Ling puffed out her cheeks, seemingly pouting in a strange fashion. Looking at her, Liang Chen lost all will to argue, slightly loosening his hand, but not letting her go or lowering her, and letting out a sigh as he glanced at the 19 other people.

"Ha~ah. So what's the deal here?"

The other people jumped slightly when Liang Chen's gaze landed on them, clearly remembering his bloodlust and that final attack he had launched. Coupled with the strange way he had frozen the air around them, none of them managed to muster the courage to stand against him. Yan Ling puffed out her chest as best she could, letting out a proud harumph.

"I told you, didn't I? Once we return to the headquarters of the sect, I would show you how many people are dying to receive my praise."

Liang Chen thought back a bit and did indeed remember her saying something similar to him after he woke up from his unconscious state after killing Liu Daning. A somewhat strange expression, a mixture between amusement and dumbfoundedness, arose on his face as he raised an eyebrow at the other people.

"So these people...?"

Were all these people really that eager to receive her praise, that they were willing to even do something like this? Yan Ling pushed her somewhat pitiable chest even further, doing her best to straighten her back, but as Liang Chen was still lifting her up off the ground, it only looked strange. She let out another proud harumph, a victorious expression her face.

"All wanted to receive my praise, so they agreed to this prank!"

Liang Chen couldn't see the expressions of the 19 people, but looking at how they lowered their heads slightly, it was clear to him that having Yan Ling state it so loudly was somewhat embarrassing to them. Liang Chen didn't comment on their states, once again looking Yan Ling up and down, giving a light chuckle.

"You're tone is strangely proud considering the position you are in."

Liang Chen was standing in the air and holding onto Yan Ling's neck, her legs dangling loosely in the air above the ground. For her to try to look proud and victorious in this situation could only be called comical. Yan Ling's expression distorted slightly, she quickly reached out with her arms, grabbing at Liang Chen's wrist in an attempt to loosen his grip.

"Geh, you didn't have to mention it, now let me down!"

Liang Chen ignored her grasping at his wrist, continuing to chuckle lightly, moving his arm slightly, causing Yan Ling's body to sway around in the air.

"That depends, are you going to assault me again?"

Yan Ling continued to grasp at Liang Chen's wrist, trying to get him to stop the swaying. But even then, she still puffed out her cheeks, maintaining her previous statement.

"It wasn't an assault, it was a prank."

After she puffed up her cheeks and spoke up, she glanced at Liang Chen for a quick second, the air in her cheeks vanishing as she whispered to herself in a low and nearly inaudible voice.

"But who could have thought that the Little Freak would get even freakier after just half a year."

She really couldn't understand it. Last time she had seen Liang Chen, he had destroyed his own Ascended Tower and was forced to dope himself with Demonic beast blood to take care of their attackers. And now, after only half a year, his cultivation had grown much stronger, his strength increased by quite a bit. Truly someone worthy of the name Little Freak

Liang Chen undid the frozen time beneath his feet, dropping to the ground and letting go of Yan Ling's neck, who proceeded to stand up and act as if nothing had happened, guiding Liang Chen up the valley, leaving the other 19 people to follow them with lowered heads.

While Yan Ling was guiding Liang Chen, Yan Ying and an unfamiliar middle-aged man were sitting in a small room that was decorated quite cozily. There was an ornate fireplace with a coiled dragon engraved on the mantle taking up most of the eastern wall of the room, while a small table covered in a fine white cloth was placed at the center of the room.

There weren't any chairs around the table, as it was designed so that people could sit on the ground with crossed legs around it. A clay pot filled with tea stood at the center of the table, Yan Ying and the unfamiliar middle-aged man, Yan Wuhan, sitting around the table, each one holding a clay cup and sipping the sweet tea.

Yan Wuhan was rather tall and had strong features, eyebrows that slanted upwards and seemed to be as sharp as swords, his silver eyes shone like moons in the night, and his somewhat short hair was neatly slicked backward. Floating in the air in front of the two of them was a thin silver screen that was depicting Yan Ling and Liang Chen, as well as what had just happened. Looking at the two, Yan Wuhuan let out a somewhat exasperated sigh.

"It seems like it was a good thing that you warned me about what she was doing."

The two of them had been sitting here and watching what had happened, starting to observe before Liang Chen even started walking up the valley. Yan Ying also let out an exasperated sigh, shaking his head.

"I told you that you should have stopped her."

He could be said to have a rudimentary understanding of Liang Chen, so he knew that if Yan Ling went through with her plan, there was a chance that someone might get hurt if Liang Chen acted on instinct. Yan Ying honestly wasn't confident that he could properly protect 20 people from Liang Chen's instinctual attack, so he had gone to his father and asked him to interfere. Yan Wuhan looked at Liang Chen, who was now walking and chatting with Yan Ling, chuckling lightly, an interested light flashing past his eyes.

"But this turned out to be a good chance to test him, didn't it? It also showed his strength to the other disciples, reducing the amount of trouble he'll experience in the future. He's quite an interesting kid."

It was better for Liang Chen to show off his might and establish something of a position now, rather than trying to lay low. This was mainly because of the fact that both Yan Ying and Yan Ling had spoken rather highly of Liang Chen after they returned to the sect, causing quite a few people, both men and women, to grow jealous of him. Showing off some might now should prevent others from constantly seeking trouble with him.

A short silence descended upon the two, who both continued to watch Liang Chen and Yan Ling. After sipping some more tea, Yan Ying broke the silence.

"Father...That last attack?"

When he saw that azure lightning bolt tipped with a coating of poison, even Yan Ying had to admit that he was astonished at the might of the attack. Just how had Liang Chen managed to produce such a strong attack without using his crimson lightning? But contrary to the explanation he expected, Yan Wuhan simply shook his head.

"I have no idea what it was, but it seemed to be a type of technique, a rather terrifying one even. Had he not changed the direction, it should carry enough force to kill at least half of the attackers, shocking the other half for long enough to give him a chance to either flee or kill them."

Of course, with Yan Wuhan keeping watch, even if Liang Chen had been unable to change the direction of the attack, he would have interfered and blocked it. There was no way he would let the disciples of his sect be killed while inside their own headquarters. Yan Wuhan continued to look at Liang Chen, the light of interest continuing to flash in his eyes as he chuckled lightly.

"Heh, it seems like you brought back quite a good seedling after you left that hidden realm."