Chapter 88 – Fire and Blood: The Flame Serpent Realm Infiltration Begins

The map before the Chaos Council pulsed with fiery red. It depicted the Flame Serpent Realm, one of the outer realms known for its intense spiritual flame rivers, volcanic mountain ranges, and rare fire-element spirit beasts.

At its center burned the Serpent Crown Volcano, home to the tyrannical overlord Emperor Arkan Vur, a peak Nascent Soul cultivator whose cruelty was known across five realms. He controlled the Phoenix Flame Crystal Mines, an invaluable resource to cultivators, alchemists, and blacksmiths alike.

Zero stood before the realm's holographic projection, his gaze calm.

"It's time the Flame Serpent Realm remembered the true order of the universe."

Behind him, the council of elders remained silent. Supreme Elder Xian stepped forward.

"Pavilion Shadows have already begun infiltration. Our agents are embedded as miners, servants, and low-rank outer sect disciples. Within two weeks, the Flame Serpent Palace will bleed from the inside."

Supreme Elder Yunari, of the Blacksmith Division, tapped her staff.

"We must capture the Phoenix Flame Mine intact. It is the only source of Heart-Flame Essence Crystals, which are key to forging Mythic Tier Chaos Weapons."

Zero nodded. "Then let's move with precision. No total war. Not yet."

Shadow Deployment – The Infiltration Begins

Two days later, within the lower valleys of the Flame Serpent Realm, three cloaked figures entered the Flamebite Province under false identities.

These were elite Chaos Shadows—each trained to assassinate, sabotage, or manipulate entire sects from the inside.

Shadow One (Codename: Ashblade) – Foundation Realm cultivator, assassin-specialist, expert in concealment and poison techniques. Shadow Two (Codename: Emberveil) – Late Qi Condensation Realm, infiltration and manipulation expert, capable of weaving fake spiritual identities. Shadow Three (Codename: Lotus Scar) – Dual root fire-ice cultivator, skilled in subversion and underground messaging.

They joined the Flame Serpent Palace under disguise, quickly rising through the ranks of the outer sect. Within a week, they had mapped every weak point of the Emperor's stronghold.

Ashblade reported via soul link to Elder Xian:

"The guards rotate every third hour. The underground mines contain imprisoned spirit beasts and rogue cultivators—potential allies. We've marked thirty escape routes, and seventeen inner court traitors."

Zero received the intel within the Chaos Sect's grand council chamber.

"Good," he said. "Phase Two begins."

Real World – Dominion Sect Hidden Training Hub

In the heart of an abandoned temple in Varanasi, India, masked agents entered a newly built Dominion Sect Training Hall, hidden beneath the Ganga River through advanced cloaking formations.

Here, Zero's AI, Chaos Intelligence Omega, had brought together 1,000 new recruits—teenagers and young adults selected from across the country. Each had special potential: spirit veins, unique physiques, or rare brainwave frequencies compatible with cultivation.

Floating in the air, a mechanical sphere hovered—the central interface of the AI.

"Welcome to Dominion. From today, your lives will change. You will walk the path of power… or die trying."

A massive screen displayed Zero's masked face.

"I am your Sect Master. You may never meet me in person. But my shadow will guide your every step. Earth is changing… and you will become its sword."

The recruits kneeled in unison.

"We pledge loyalty to the Dominion Sect!"

Chaos Sect's Secret War – The Flame Palace Intrigue

Far within the Flame Serpent Realm, in the heart of the Serpent Crown Volcano, the imperial Flame Palace blazed with spiritual fire. Emperor Arkan Vur sat atop a crimson throne forged from lava-imbued steel. His body radiated endless heat; his hair was a stream of molten gold.

Behind him, dozens of elite guards in blazing armor waited.

A trembling man knelt before him.

"M-My Lord… we lost two patrol caravans on the southern mines… No survivors…"

The Emperor didn't even blink.

"Was it rogue beasts? Or are my enemies finally growing bold?"

The man hesitated. "S-some whisper of cloaked figures… bearing no sect insignia. But moving with precision and unnatural silence."

A single finger flick.

Boom!

The man's body exploded into ash. Arkan's voice echoed through the chamber.

"Issue full alert in all Flamebite provinces. Triple patrols. And anyone moving without sect clearance… dies."

But deep in the shadows, Emberveil, the Chaos spy, observed from behind an illusion screen.

She whispered into her chaos stone:

"He's tightening security. Preparing for war. You were right, Sect Master. He's getting desperate."

Inner Chamber of Chaos – Cultivation Breakthrough

While the spies operated in the Flame Realm, Zero remained seated within the Chaos Meditation Sphere, a floating cultivation domain at the heart of the Chaos Sect. Here, spiritual essence from across the Mystic Realm gathered and swirled in thick vortexes.

Zero sat cross-legged. His body emitted faint flames and mist.

He was nearing a breakthrough to Golden Core Stage.

But instead of brute-forcing it, he was refining the Primordial Chaos Pill, created by the combined effort of Elder Rah'kun and the Chaos Alchemy Division. This pill had once elevated a Nascent Soul cultivator to the Mythic Ascension level.

The pill glowed in his palm. Ancient runes rotated around it.

"Time to evolve…"

He swallowed it, and instantly his body began glowing. A blinding vortex formed around him. Chaos qi, space qi, fire qi, and even temporal energy surged into his core.

"Chaos Art – Core Genesis: Phase 7."

BOOM!

Lightning danced around the Chaos Realm. Several sleeping elders stirred in their chambers.

In mere moments, Zero's cultivation surged from Foundation Level 6 to Golden Core Level 2.

At the same time, the Chaos Physique within him fully activated.

His bones crystallized. His blood turned silver-black. His dantian pulsed like a primordial star.

New Title Acquired: Realm Dominator (Hidden)

The system within his Chaos Ring chimed.

[Ding! Congratulations! You have ascended to Golden Core Stage.]

[Hidden Title Acquired: Realm Dominator – Flame Serpent Realm Recognizes You as Threat Level: Cataclysmic.]

[New passive unlocked: Realm Pressure – Your presence reduces enemies of lower realms' combat ability by 40%.]

Zero opened his eyes, crackling with divine chaos light.

"It's time."

He stood, summoned Voidpiercer, and with a flash of divine light, disappeared from the chamber.

Operation Phoenix – Breaking the Flame Palace

At midnight, a soul transmission reached Emberveil and Ashblade.

"Begin Phase Three. Chaos Master will arrive in two hours. Disable their formation pillars and open the Sky Gate."

In the depths of the Flame Palace, Ashblade assassinated three key formation masters silently. Emberveil lured two inner court commanders into an ambush and stole their command tokens.

Meanwhile, Lotus Scar activated stolen formation blueprints and inserted a virus—coded by Chaos AI—into the spiritual matrix controlling the barrier of the volcano.

"All ready," she said. "Chaos Gate can now be opened."

Arrival of the Storm

In the night sky above the Serpent Crown Volcano, a black fissure tore open in space.

Out stepped Zero, wreathed in golden-black lightning.

With a single step, he landed atop the Flame Palace.

BOOOOOOM!

The volcano trembled. Lava bubbled violently. Cultivators inside the palace woke in panic.

Arkan Vur burst from his throne chamber, flaming sword in hand.

"YOU DARE?!"

Zero didn't answer with words. He answered with Voidpiercer.

Their weapons clashed in a thunderous shockwave that shattered the skies and split nearby mountains.

Arkan howled. "You think you can defeat me in my domain?! I control this realm!"

Zero smirked.

"Not anymore."

He stabbed his spear into the earth. Chaos lightning surged into the core of the Flame Palace. The Chaos AI virus activated, hijacking all fire-based formations.

A red screen of data symbols appeared in the air.

[System Override: Chaos Order Injected. Flame Serpent Realm Primary Control… SEIZED.]

Arkan stumbled back, his fire aura faltering. "What… what are you?!"

Zero's chaos aura engulfed him.

"I am the one who returns what was stolen. I am the shadow of the past… and the storm of the future."

"I am the Sect Master of Chaos."

The Second Realm Falls

With their Emperor defeated, the Flame Serpent soldiers fell into disarray. Ashblade emerged with the severed heads of the palace elders. Emberveil raised the Chaos Banner, embedding it atop the main tower.

Chaos disciples stormed in through the open gates.

"ALL HAIL THE CHAOS SECT!"

"LONG LIVE SECT MASTER ZERO!"

Thousands of Flame Palace disciples dropped to their knees. Many threw away their sect robes, donning the Chaos insignia immediately.

Emperor Arkan, broken and humiliated, knelt before Zero, trembling.

"Kill me."

Zero looked at him coldly. "No."

"You will become a Guardian Slave, bound by soul contract, serving the Chaos Sect for eternity."

Arkan screamed as the Eternal Soul Binding Curse was carved into his spirit. His cultivation was sealed, his soul tied to Zero's will.

A fate worse than death.

Dominion Sect – Earth Network Expands

Back on Earth, in a hidden laboratory beneath Ladakh, Dominion engineers installed the first intercontinental spiritual frequency receiver. This would allow Zero to send game energy, techniques, and items directly to Earth via a chaos array gateway.

The Chaos AI reported:

"Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Bengaluru are now Dominion-compatible zones. Tier-1 Recruitment Protocol initiated."

Dozens of youths from across India—selected via the Dominion app—were summoned into training camps.

The AI then began scanning governmental energy grids, mapping secret underground labs where Earth cultivators trained. Within 48 hours, it would breach the veil of Earth's hidden cultivation world.

Zero, watching the feed from the VR chamber, whispered:

"Soon, Earth… you too shall remember Chaos."

Arya Kapoor Awakens the Fate Mirror

At the edge of a sealed ruin, Arya Kapoor finally stood before the Fate Mirror, guided by her grandfather.

The mirror shimmered with violet light as she poured her blood onto it.

"Show me… the one who used Room 09."

For a moment, the mirror resisted.

Then—

A figure appeared, face obscured in light, wearing a black robe with a golden sigil.

The mirror cracked.

Then exploded.

Arya fell to her knees, her heart thundering.

A voice echoed from the ruins:

"You seek Chaos… but Chaos has already seen you."