Invitation of Madness

The wind howled through the scorched trees of Bonefire Ridge, carrying the scent of ash and blood. The echoes of his recent battles still lingered in the air, but Jiang Chen stood motionless, his spear resting on his shoulder, golden-amber eyes scanning the horizon.

His Chaos Core pulsed rhythmically within him, like a second heart—calm, yet restless. His body was still singing from his recent breakthrough to the Peak Stage of Body Tempering, every muscle and fiber brimming with raw, explosive power. But beneath that power, a primal instinct screamed—a warning.

Someone was coming.

And they weren't hiding their presence.

The air grew heavy. The ground beneath his feet seemed to sink, as if bowing to an unseen force. It wasn't killing intent—no, it was something far more terrifying. It was the pressure of absolute strength, the weight of a predator who had long forgotten the feeling of being prey.

A voice, deep and rough, laced with the arrogance of a battle-hardened god, cut through the silence.

"Hoh? This is the little beast causing all the fuss?"

A figure stepped into view.

The man was tall and broad-shouldered, his hair wild and streaked with silver. His robe, a deep midnight blue embroidered with jagged golden cracks, fluttered despite the still air. His face bore a savage grin, and his eyes—deep, unfathomable pools—burned with an untamed madness.

Jiang Chen's sharp senses probed the man's aura—and found nothing. No Qi, no realm. A void. As if the universe itself refused to measure his power.

I can't sense him at all…

Jiang Chen's fingers gripped his spear tighter, his Chaos Core flaring with instinctive defiance. His lips curled into a smirk.

"You lost, old man? Or did you come to join the queue of idiots trying to kill me?"

The elder's grin widened. His teeth flashed like a wolf's before a hunt.

"Hah! Kill you? No, no… If I wanted you dead, I'd have crushed you under my thumb already."

The air trembled. Not a threat. A fact.

Jiang Chen felt his pulse quicken, but his smirk only sharpened.

"Then why are you wasting your breath? State your business or start swinging."

The elder's laughter was like rolling thunder, deep and wild.

"Good! You've got spine, brat! I like that." He tilted his head, eyes glinting. "Name's Zhao Yan. Heaven Sundering Sect."

The name hit like a thunderclap.

Jiang Chen's eyes narrowed. The Heaven Sundering Sect—a name whispered in fearful tones, known for its disciples who settled disputes by shattering mountains rather than talking. They were known as lunatics, battle maniacs who lived and died by combat.

And they were far, far above the likes of the Crimson Blade Sect.

Why is someone from a sect that powerful here… for me?

Zhao Yan grinned wider, sensing the shift in Jiang Chen's eyes.

"You're wondering why I'm here, aren't you? Well, I heard some brat's been tearing through the Crimson Blade dogs, and I got curious." His voice turned sharp, almost hungry. "But words are boring. I'd rather see it for myself."

Jiang Chen's knuckles cracked as he twirled his spear, his Chaos Core already stirring.

"So, you're here to fight."

Zhao Yan's grin turned feral.

"Of course. How else do you get to know someone?"

The earth cracked beneath Jiang Chen's feet as he shot forward like a bullet. His spear blurred, the air itself shrieking from the speed of his thrust. He unleashed Compression, layering the force into a singular point, aiming to shatter the old man's chest in one devastating strike.

The spear hit.

But it was like striking the sky itself—unmoving, unbreakable.

Zhao Yan hadn't moved. He had stopped the spear with a single finger.

Jiang Chen's eyes flashed with shock, but he didn't hesitate. Chaos Qi erupted from his core, and he detonated the layered force of Compression from the spear point. The space around them rippled, the explosion tearing the earth into jagged scars.

Yet, as the dust cleared, Zhao Yan remained exactly where he stood, his finger still pressed against the spear tip. His robes hadn't even stirred.

"Not bad," he chuckled. "But too soft."

Jiang Chen twisted mid-air, wrenching his spear free and bringing it down with a heaven-splitting strike, his Chaos Qi howling through the weapon like a tidal wave.

Zhao Yan hand blurred.

BOOM!

Jiang Chen was sent crashing backward, skidding through the earth, his bones rattling from the impact. He felt like he'd been struck by a mountain.

Jiang Chen's body screamed, but he was already moving, leveraging Force Intent to fold momentum into his next attack. His spear vanished—no, he had thrown it—propelled by a burst of Compression, turning it into a projectile faster than sound.

CLANG!

Zhao Yan caught it mid-air with a casual grip. The earth beneath him shattered from the sheer force he absorbed.

"Hah! That's more like it!" He laughed as if this was nothing more than a child's game. "But you're still holding back!"

The elder vanished from sight—

No. Not vanished. He had moved.

Jiang Chen barely twisted aside before a palm grazed his shoulder—

CRACK. His bones groaned from the shockwave alone, and his body was launched into a boulder, shattering it on impact.

Blood painted his lips, but his eyes burned brighter.

This is insane… he thought, wiping his mouth, his body screaming in agony. But his heart… his heart was singing.

"You mad old bastard—" he spat blood, "You're having fun with me, aren't you?"

Zhao Yan grinned, his eyes blazing.

"Damn right I am! You're the first runt in years to survive three exchanges with me without crying for their ancestors!"

"But—" He raised a single finger. "You're still going to lose."

Jiang Chen's Chaos Core flared dangerously.

"Then I'll make you earn it!"

Jiang Chen's aura exploded, the air distorting around him. His Chaos Qi condensed into a blinding sphere above his palm, raw and unstable. The space around it trembled, fractures forming in reality itself.

"If you like madness so much—" Jiang Chen's lips curled into a grin as he unleashed the full force of the unstable energy.

"—Then choke on this!"

The sphere detonated, and the world turned white.

When the dust settled, the land was devastated. Entire chunks of Bonefire Ridge had collapsed, the sky itself seemed to groan from the aftershock.

And in the center of the destruction, Zhao Yan stood.

His robe was torn, a thin line of blood trickled from his lip. His eyes burned with insane delight.

"Good. Very good!" His laughter roared through the ruined battlefield. "You're completely insane. I love it!"

Suddenly, the pressure was gone. Zhao Yan straightened, folding his arms. The fight was over—and Jiang Chen knew it.

Jiang Chen, chest heaving, stood his ground, battered but unbowed. His spear was cracked, his body near breaking, but his eyes—his eyes blazed with the fires of defiance.

The elder chuckled.

"Boy, I've seen geniuses, monsters, and lunatics. But you? You're something else entirely. I like you."

A flick of his hand—

And something gleamed through the air.

Jiang Chen caught it instinctively.

A black-gold token, carved with jagged symbols, burning faintly with chaotic energy. Its edge was cracked—as if the token itself had fought in a thousand battles.

"That's a Heaven Sundering Sect Token. Keep it. When you're tired of playing with these small fries—" he jerked his thumb toward the distant Ironhollow—"Come find me.

"We'll show you how real men fight."

Jiang Chen felt the raw, oppressive energy sealed in the token. A lifeline. Or a challenge.

"Tch." Jiang Chen grinned through bloody teeth, flicking the token once in his palm. "Tempting. But I've got some business to finish first."

Zhao Yan's laughter boomed, loud and wild.

"Good answer! Smash your enemies first. Then come to me."

He turned, his figure blurring into the horizon.

But his voice lingered, a promise and a challenge:

"Get stronger, brat. Or when you do come knocking… I'll break you myself."

The battlefield lay in ruins. His body screamed with pain. His heart thundered.

Jiang Chen stared at the token, his thumb brushing over the ancient cracks on its surface.

"Heaven Sundering Sect, huh…"

He tucked it away with a smirk.

"One day."

But first—

His eyes turned toward Ironhollow.

"I've got a Crimson Blade Sect to bury."

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