Chapter 1

Jiangcheng High-Speed Railway Station was sweltering under the scorching summer sun. Amid the bustling crowd, a slender figure stood out, attracting quite a few curious glances. The owner of that figure was a young man. He wore a military-green T-shirt that had been washed so many times that it was almost completely faded. A baseball cap covered his head, while an old canvas bag hung diagonally across his body. In his hand, he held an ID card. The name printed on it was Ye Chen. His appearance was completely out of place among the people around him. Jiangcheng might not be a first-tier city, but it was among the leading second-tier cities. Even migrant workers who came here would usually pay some attention to their appearance. But Ye Chen's outfit was simply too shabby. Just then, a tall, beautiful woman walked past him. She glanced at Ye Chen's attire and couldn't help frowning. Yet that brief glance was enough for Ye Chen to notice something unusual. Her Fude Palace—the area between her eyebrows associated with one's fortune—was dark. It was a classic sign of impending bloodshed. In other words, she was destined to suffer a bloody disaster today! "Miss, I can tell that you're going to encounter a bloody disaster today. Why don't you let yourself bleed a little to avert the misfortune and prevent future trouble?" Ye Chen kindly warned her. Unexpectedly, the moment those words left his mouth, the woman's face turned bright red. She hurriedly opened her handbag and only let out a sigh of relief after confirming that she had brought her sanitary pads. Then she glared fiercely at Ye Chen and spat, "Pervert!" Pervert? Ye Chen was stunned. He had only been trying to warn her out of kindness. How had he ended up being called a pervert? What kind of world was this? Could women have changed this much during the five years he had been away? Ye Chen helplessly shook his head and walked toward the exit of the high-speed railway station. However, the moment the tallest skyscraper in all of Jiangcheng came into view, his footsteps suddenly stopped. He slowly raised his head. His eyes were as sharp as an eagle's as he murmured, "Jiangcheng! I'm finally back! "Five years ago, that banquet at Yunhu Manor resulted in the massacre of my entire Ye family, leaving me as the only survivor. If my mother hadn't used the last bit of her strength to push me into Dongqian Lake, there might not even be a Ye family left in Jiangcheng!" As he spoke, Ye Chen suddenly clenched both fists. A terrifying killing aura erupted from his body and spread in every direction. The tourists nearby instantly felt as though an invisible hand had wrapped itself around their throats! In the blink of an eye, it felt like hell had descended upon the world. "Zhao Chenghao! Wan Qiang! Zhou Zhenglong! And all of you who stood by and watched my parents being murdered! "You never imagined that I, Ye Chen, would still be alive, did you?" "Perhaps I should even thank you. "If it weren't for you, I would never have been saved by my master, nor would I have returned with techniques powerful enough to shake Heaven and make the gods weep! "This time, I swear that everyone involved in what happened back then will pay for it a thousand times over!" …… Several seconds later, Ye Chen finally relaxed his clenched fists. He hailed a taxi and headed toward the city center. If he had waited a few more seconds, the pedestrians behind him might not have escaped unscathed. Along the way, memories of the past continued to surface. The pain was so intense that Ye Chen could barely breathe. He had been born into a prominent family and had never lacked food or clothing. Although people in their circle had always called him a good-for-nothing, the family of three had still lived a happy and peaceful life. Until that gathering at Yunhu Manor five years ago. That night completely changed the course of his life. His father had offended a man from the capital while trying to save a little girl. The man flew into a rage. With a single slap, he struck Ye Chen's father across the face. Then, in front of countless people, he personally killed him. Not a single person stepped forward to stop him. Not the families that had once fawned over the Ye family. Not his father's old friends. Not even the uncle he had always trusted. Ye Chen had gone mad with grief. He struggled desperately and even grabbed a dinner knife, charging toward the man. But the man stopped him with one hand. Ye Chen still clearly remembered that man's indifferent gaze and his icy words. "Jiangcheng's Ye family? What does that amount to? "Even if you were from a family in the capital, I could still wipe you out with one hand! "And you, you little fool who doesn't know your own limits. I hear you're famous for being the biggest good-for-nothing in Jiangcheng? "Heh. You want to kill me? "Give you a hundred years, and you still won't be able to change the fact that you're a good-for-nothing!" To everyone's surprise, a woman suddenly rushed forward at that moment. Using every last ounce of strength she had, she shoved the young Ye Chen into Dongqian Lake. The instant he fell into the lake, Ye Chen watched his mother charge toward that man. She was prepared to fight to the death. Ye Chen thought his life had ended there. But fate had other plans. He was rescued downstream from Dongqian Lake by an old man. The old man took him to a secluded place cut off from the outside world, where he taught Ye Chen unparalleled alchemy techniques and instructed him in the cultivation of the Nine Heavens Profound Yang Art. For the past five years, no one knew what had happened to Ye Chen in that ethereal, isolated place. They only knew that a devil had suddenly risen to prominence there. His code name was Bloodthirsty Mad Dragon. …… Huamei Group, Jiangcheng. Ye Chen glanced at the note in his hand, then at the logo above the company's entrance. After confirming that he had come to the right place, he walked inside. Originally, he had planned to head straight to the capital and search for the man who had appeared at Yunhu Manor. After all, that man was the person Ye Chen wanted to kill the most over the past five years. Unfortunately, he knew almost nothing about him. All he knew was that the people around the man called him Lord Long, and that he was from the capital. Everything else was a blank. However, before Ye Chen left, his master had insisted that he first make a trip to Jiangcheng and find a young woman named Xia Ruoxue. Years ago, his master had traveled to Jiangcheng and become entangled in a complicated relationship with Xia Ruoxue's grandmother. Ye Chen even suspected that Xia Ruoxue might actually be the old man's granddaughter. Three days ago, his master had used his knowledge of divination to decipher the heavenly secrets and discovered that Xia Ruoxue would encounter a major disaster within the next hundred days. That disaster could very well cost her life. Fortunately, Ye Chen possessed the Purple Qi Crouching Dragon Destiny—a fate so extraordinary that even the Heavenly Dao could not perceive it. Therefore, if Xia Ruoxue's fate was to be changed, Ye Chen was the only one capable of doing it. As for how he was supposed to accomplish this, his master had never explained. He had merely told Ye Chen to take things one step at a time. …… "Stop!" Suddenly, a cold voice rang out. Two burly men, each nearly 1.9 meters tall, blocked Ye Chen's path. Both wore security uniforms. Their skin was dark, their gazes sharp, and the muscles in their arms bulged prominently, giving them an intimidating appearance. Ye Chen raised an eyebrow. Naturally, he had no intention of fighting a couple of security guards. "Hello. I'm looking for Xia Ruoxue." The moment one of the security guards heard Xia Ruoxue's name, he sneered. "You're looking for President Xia? You? Heh. Do you have an appointment?" "No," Ye Chen answered honestly. "Then do you have a Huamei Group employee ID?" "No." Hearing this, the arrogance on the security guard's face became even more pronounced. He looked down at Ye Chen and pointed toward the entrance with disdain. "If you have neither, then there's the door. Get out!" As one of the top 500 companies in China and one of Jiangcheng's leading corporations, Huamei Group naturally gave its security guards a sense of superiority. They didn't need to care about anyone's feelings. Their only job was to drive away unwanted people. Just then, several men dressed in suits stepped out of a Mercedes-Benz E200. They first approached the front desk and asked about something. Apparently, they were also looking for Xia Ruoxue. Naturally, they received the exact same answer Ye Chen had. The men exchanged glances, thought about it for a few seconds, and eventually chose to wait on a nearby sofa. Ye Chen had no intention of arguing with the two security guards either. He pointed toward the sofa. "How about this? I'll just wait there for a while." With that, he walked straight toward the sofa. But before he could take more than a few steps, the two security guards blocked him again. "Kid, are you fucking deaf? Don't make me say it a third time. There's the door. Get the hell out!" Ye Chen's brows knitted tightly. He had only just returned to Jiangcheng, and he hadn't done anything to offend these two men. Why were they deliberately making things difficult for him? He pointed toward the suited men and asked, "Why can they sit there and wait while I can't?" One of the security guards looked Ye Chen up and down before sneering. "A country bumpkin like you wants to meet President Xia? "Why don't you take a piss and look at yourself in the mirror first? "Get lost. If you don't leave now, I'll throw you out myself." Ye Chen helplessly shook his head. He finally understood. These two guards were simply abusing their authority. Clearly, in their eyes, someone dressed like him wasn't even worthy of sitting down and waiting. Five years had passed, yet Jiangcheng was still the same Jiangcheng. "What if I don't want to leave?" Ye Chen's expression darkened. "Don't want to leave? Then you're asking to die!" The moment he finished speaking, one of the guards reached out and slammed a hand onto Ye Chen's shoulder. The veins on his arm bulged as he exerted his strength. A cruel smile spread across his face. As long as he applied a little more force, this skinny young man would be sent flying at least three meters. Just a few days ago, another country bumpkin had dared to challenge his authority. He had thrown that man out with one hand. The man was still lying in the hospital. The guard suddenly increased his strength. Yet Ye Chen didn't move an inch. Gradually, the smile on the guard's face froze. Then, terror appeared in his eyes. He suddenly realized that the young man before him was like an immovable mountain. He couldn't budge him at all. At the same time, an overwhelming sense of death traveled up his arm and spread throughout his body. His entire body was drenched in cold sweat. The other security guard noticed that something was wrong with his companion and laughed. "Stone, what's wrong? You're so weak that you're sweating buckets in broad daylight? "Did your wife drain you dry last night? "Move aside. Let me handle this." With that, he reached out toward Ye Chen as well. "Get lost. I don't want to kill anyone." Ye Chen's icy voice suddenly rang out like rolling thunder. At the same time, he lightly stomped his left foot. A powerful current of air suddenly surged around his body and blasted toward the two security guards! The two men felt an overwhelming force slam into their chests. They couldn't hold back any longer. Both spat out a mouthful of blood before being sent flying through the air! Their bodies slammed heavily into the tempered glass doors of the lobby. "BOOM!" The entire glass wall collapsed with a deafening crash!