The Jiuli Secret Realm, a place of boundless opportunities and hidden terrors, had become a stage for the greatest massacre of the era. It was here that Long Chen, alongside his Dragonblood Legion, the warriors of the Ravenbrook Region, and the true members of the Righteous Path, unleashed their unrelenting fury.
The traitors of the Righteous Path—those who had sold their honor for power—stood alongside the Corrupt Path, their alliance forged in greed and deception. But Long Chen had come not to negotiate, not to plead, but to purge.
And in that moment, he defined what righteousness truly meant—not with words alone, but with blood.
The battlefield was silent, yet filled with a suffocating tension.
Before Long Chen stood thousands of so-called "righteous" disciples, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Corrupt Path. These were not lost lambs but wolves in sheep's clothing, people who had long since abandoned the ideals they claimed to uphold.
Among them was Hu Jian, a direct descendant of the Hu family, one of the ruling factions of the Pill Tower, an arrogant young master whose very presence exuded corruption. He sneered at Long Chen, his eyes filled with disdain.
"Long Chen, you spout nonsense about righteousness, yet all you do is kill! You are nothing more than a savage, a brute who knows only slaughter!"
The moment those words left his lips, Long Chen's aura exploded.
The Nine Star Will surged from his body, merging with his killing intent. The very air trembled, the ancient ruins of the Jiuli Secret Realm shuddering as if recognizing the presence of a divine reaper.
"You misunderstand something, Hu Jian," Long Chen's voice was calm, yet it carried a pressure that crushed souls. "Righteousness is not about following the rules of men who hide their sins behind status. Righteousness is the ability to stand tall, protect the weak, and destroy the wicked without hesitation."
His eyes swept over the battlefield, his golden pupils reflecting every trembling figure, every soul struggling between loyalty and fear.
"Many of you claim to be righteous, yet you have abandoned your own people. You call me a savage?"
Silence.
The weak-willed disciples trembled, their beliefs shaken.
Hu Jian's expression darkened, but before he could speak, Long Chen raised his blade.
"Your so-called righteousness is a lie. And today, that lie will burn."
Before anyone could react, Long Chen vanished—and in the next instant, his sword pierced Hu Jian's throat.
Hu Jian's eyes widened in disbelief. Blood gushed from his mouth as he clawed at his throat, but Long Chen did not let him suffer long.
With a flick of his wrist, the head of the Hu family's pride soared through the air before crashing onto the blood-soaked ground.
For a brief moment, absolute silence reigned.
Then, the battlefield erupted into chaos.
The Dragonblood Legion surged forward, their battle cries shaking the heavens.
Gu Yang's golden spear flashed as he tore through ranks of traitorous disciples, his raw power overwhelming all in his path. Li Qi and Song Mingyuan, masters of earth and metal, manipulated the very terrain, crushing hundreds beneath shifting landslides and razor-sharp metal spikes.
Meanwhile, Meng Qi and Lu Fang'er's Spirit beasts rampaged, her army of spectral wolves and eagles tearing apart enemies with merciless efficiency. Tang Wan'er's wind blades sliced through ranks of enemies like a hurricane, leaving only mangled bodies in her wake.
And finally, Yue Zifeng who cut half of the entirety of the enemies in one single strike not even breaking a sweat.
The true members of the Righteous Path, those whose hearts still held honor, fought alongside them. Those who had once hesitated now found their path illuminated by Long Chen's brutal, unwavering justice.
But the true nightmare was Long Chen himself.
He moved like a destroyer, his blade singing through the air, cutting down corrupt path disciples like wheat before the scythe while destroying ground on which he stood.
The sky rained blood as Long Chen carved his way through the battlefield.
The Nine Star Hegemon Will pulsed through him, creating a domain of absolute suppression.
The disciples of the traitorous sects, realizing their mistake too late, fell to their knees, begging for mercy.
One of them, a young man whose master had betrayed the Righteous Path, looked up at Long Chen with tears in his eyes. "Please… I didn't know what true righteousness was. I understand now! I was wrong!"
Long Chen looked at him, his expression unreadable.
Then, he nodded. "Then stand up. If your heart is still righteous, fight."
The young man rose, his trembling hands gripping his weapon as he turned on his former comrades.
Only those with pure resolve would walk behind Long Chen that day.
The rest were erased.
Dozens of hidden self-destruction talismans ignited, their deadly glow filling the battlefield.
But Long Chen only snorted in disdain.
With a single step, he vanished—then reappeared above them, his foot descending like the Essence of Annihilation.
BOOM!
The explosions were crushed under the force of his will. Those who had activated the talismans were obliterated before they could detonate.
The last remnants of the Evil faction were reduced to dust.
As the blood-soaked sun set upon the Jiuli Secret Realm, Long Chen stood atop a mountain of corpses.
Behind him, those who had followed him stood victorious.
Before him, only ruin remained.
The atmosphere was tense. The disciples of the Righteous Path, especially those from the Huayun Sect, couldn't hold back their doubts any longer.
One turned to Long Chen, their leader in battle, the one who had led them to overwhelming victory—but also the one who had allowed their enemies to live.
He spoke, voice edged with frustration.
"Long Chen, why did you let them live? They were begging for their lives, yes, but those very same people fought against us not long ago. They would've cut us down without hesitation. And now, after seeing their side crumble, they suddenly want to stand with us? How can you trust them?"
Another disciple of Righteous Path nodded, his voice filled with skepticism. "It's one thing to show mercy. It's another to invite betrayal. What if they turn against us again?"
A third disciple from the Mingyang Sect scoffed. "People like them only understand power. The moment they see an opportunity, they'll abandon whatever loyalty they pretend to have. Are we just supposed to accept them as brothers?"
The murmurs of agreement spread through the ranks. Even those who respected Long Chen deeply couldn't help but question his decision.
Long Chen, however, remained calm. He let them speak, letting their emotions spill out before responding. When they finally fell silent, he said,
"It wasn't simple mercy that I showed them."
His voice was steady, neither defensive nor impatient.
"I was applying Spiritual Pressure on them."
His words caused a ripple of confusion. Some frowned, others looked at each other in uncertainty. One of the Huayun Sect disciples hesitated before asking,
"What do you mean?"
Long Chen exhaled lightly, as if explaining something to children who had yet to see the world clearly.
"During the battle, I suppressed them all with my spiritual might. In that moment, I urged their inner desure, actual one either it may be malevolent or benevolent-- their true natures were laid bare. Wolves in sheep's clothing—those who were truly corrupt and wicked—would rather die than submit. They spat their last curses at me before I cut them down. But those who begged for life? They weren't schemers or traitors at heart. They were just lost lambs."
The group fell into silence.
Long Chen continued, his tone unwavering.
"Most of them followed the Corrupt Path or allied with them not because they wanted to but because lf something else. Their elders taught them cruelty and corruption, so they practiced cruelty. Their sects glorified bloodshed, so they took lives without questioning 'why?'. But when true power stood before them, when they felt death's embrace, they didn't curse or scheme—they just wantes to live normally while ready to be apprehended but not known as evil.That was proof that they weren't beyond saving. I gave them a chance because they deserved it."
Some disciples still looked uncertain. A small Sect member frowned.
"But what if you're wrong? What if some of them are wolves?"
Long Chen smirked slightly.
"I... trust my judgement."
Silence stretched once more. Then, slowly, nods of understanding spread through the group.
The Jiuli Secret Realm Massacre would be remembered as the day the True Righteous Path was reborn—under the banner of Long Chen, the true Hegemon.
The time to return had arrived. Now, as the final moment approached, an unsettling change took place.
Long Chen, always one step ahead, had already begun moving away from the others while telling his people, all who were left, to be prepared and not be scared.
There was an instinctive pull within him, an invisible force guiding him deeper into the realm, as if something was calling out to him. And just as he disappeared from the location, the entire Jiuli Secret Realm trembled violently. It was no longer just the usual instability that came with the closing of a realm—this was something else.
Cracks split open in the void. Like fractures in a shattered mirror, they spread in all directions, revealing glimpses of various exit points. These weren't just rifts leading outside; they were the very structure of the realm breaking apart. A sense of unease spread among everyone present. Their expressions turned to shock, disbelief evident in their eyes. They had all anticipated the realm's closure, but no one had expected its destruction.
One by one, figures were pulled into these cracks, vanishing from sight. Some resisted, trying to hold their ground, but the force was too overwhelming. It was as if the realm itself was ejecting them, forcing them out as its final act.
Yet, amidst the chaos, something completely expected occurred.
A sphere—neither large nor small, but filled with an indescribable presence—emerged from the void. It pulsed with an ancient energy, untouched by time, neither chaotic nor calm, yet carrying an overwhelming primal force. This sphere did not fall randomly into the realm's ruins. It was drawn to Long Chen as if it had finally found its destined master.
Before he could react, the sphere shot into his body, entering his Dantian. In that instant, time seemed to freeze. A flood of knowledge surged into Long Chen's mind. It was not simply an inheritance—it was a truth that had existed since the beginning of time itself.
The words echoed in his soul.
"Primal Chaos Bead."
Long Chen's pupils shrank with unexplainable joy.
The Jiuli Secret Realm had never been an independent world—it had always been sustained by the power of the Primal Chaos Bead (which was waiting for aLong Chen to appear) as the core. But after countless years of stagnation, its cycle had come to an end. Without the bead to anchor it, the realm had begun to collapse.
Understanding the truth, Long Chen did not hesitate. He extended his will into the Primal Chaos Bead.
His consciousness dove into the Primal Chaos Bead, and there, within its vast, boundless space, he saw the Secret Ralm dying with all treasures that were existential but buried deep within the Secret Realm. He suddenly felt bad as he was goijg to lose these treasures and when he wanted one of those treasures it suddenly appwared in the Primal Chaos Bead shocking him. Long Chen once again tried a bit and when found he could do so, he felt over-joyed.
In that moment, as he had not expected, he became a Master of the Secret Realm.
He willed the realm itself into the bead.
The Dragon Veins, the essence of Heaven and Earth, the untold treasures hidden deep within the realm—he took them all. He did not steal them; he 'saved' them. For without him, they would be lost forever.
Well, also to note, all the beasts within had died which were also absorbed within Primao Chaos Bead as fertilizer for Black Soil in order to extend the Astral Space of the Primal Chaos Bead (Sphere) and Life Energy within the Bead.
Outside, the destruction accelerated. The space continued to crack apart, its very laws unraveling. The remaining figures were forcefully thrown out, their bodies vanishing into the endless void before reappearing outside the realm's borders. Some screamed in panic, some stared in horror, and others—those with keener senses—could only marvel at what they had just witnessed while nothing happened to anyone else other than them being kicked out of the Secret Realm from the very place they entered.
The Small world was ending.
Long Chen stood alone amidst the collapsing reality, his body untouched by the chaos around him.
With one final gaze at the crumbling Jiuli Secret Realm, he stepped forward.
And then, he too disappeared.
The moment he left, the realm ceased to exist.
What was once an ancient battlefield, a treasure trove of untold power, and a graveyard of countless warriors—was now nothing but an empty void. No one would ever step into it again as it closed down forever. No one would ever uncover its secrets for it was gone.
But even so, in its destruction, the Jiuli Secret Realm had not been truly lost.
For within Long Chen's Dantian, within the huge Astral Space of the Primal Chaos Bead, all the legacies remained.
And thus, as he re-emerged into the outside world, standing under the vast sky, Long Chen knew—
This was not the end.
It was only the beginning.
To Be Continued....