Chen's vision went black.
For a moment, he couldn't breathe—only an endless, consuming darkness surrounded him. Then, slowly, shapes began to form. The darkness peeled away like smoke, revealing a sky of blood-red clouds swirling above him.
He was… floating.
When he looked down, his pulse froze.
Below him stretched an enormous battlefield—scattered corpses, shattered weapons, torn flags soaked in blood. Two massive armies clashed, screams echoing in the air like dying thunder.
And in the center of this carnage stood a man.
A general.
Chen's breath hitched when he saw the man raise his hands, summoning something ancient and horrifying. Thousands—no, hundreds of thousands—of black chains burst from his body like serpents. They shot across the battlefield, wrapping around nearly a hundred thousand soldiers at once. The chains pulsed, tightening.
And then—
Crack.
Rip.
Tear.
Bodies fell apart in grotesque chunks.
In a single move, the general wiped out an entire army.
Chen felt his soul tremble. A single man did this…? Is power like that even real?
The general's aura alone was so heavy that even the soldiers around him struggled to breathe.
Everything blurred.
The battlefield dissolved, and Chen suddenly found himself inside an extravagant brothel. Laughter. Silk curtains. Perfume. Women draped over a man like puppets without strings.
Chen's gaze dropped to the man's torso—pink chains flowed from his body, connecting to every woman in the room.
Soul chains… controlling emotions… desires… affection…
Again the world twisted.
He was standing in a cemetery now. Cold wind. Cracked tombstones. A lone man stood before a row of coffins. Red chains slithered from his hands, sinking into the coffins.
Moments later, the corpses rose—empty eyes glowing.
Chen whispered, stunned,
"An undead army… controlled through chains…?"
He kept watching vision after vision—wars, rituals, forbidden arts—until everything vanished again.
Chen blinked, finding himself back inside the library, his hands still touching the book.
He swallowed hard, voice low.
"This technique… it's terrifying. If I master it, no one will be able to stop me. And I will finish every last revenge I've ever sworn."
He flipped through the pages rapidly.
Soul Chain Techniques.
Love Chain — capable of revealing true emotions: love or hatred.
Fear Chain.
Obedience Chain.
Spirit-Binding Chain.
Many techniques required realms far above his current level. But some… some were within reach.
For the next hour he read, memorized, absorbed—until his eyes burned with determination.
When he finally opened his eyes completely, he felt something different inside his body—raw, rising power. Ever since reaching Soul Purification Realm, something inside him had awakened.
He stepped out of his room—
and froze.
From his own body, a faint pink chain flickered into existence… and linked itself to Xiang, his mother.
Chen's breath softened.
The Love Chain… She truly loves me deeply.
A warmth spread through his chest—not weakness, but a deep, grounding strength.
He walked behind her and wrapped his arms gently around her waist.
"Mom… what are you doing?"
Xiang looked back, smiling softly.
"Dinner, my child. You must be hungry."
Chen kissed her cheek tenderly.
"You're the best, Mom."
Later, after dinner, Xiang lay back on the bed, exhaustion clear in her voice.
"Today was tiring…"
Seeing her like that stirred something dark and protective inside him—an overwhelming need to shield her from every pain, every threat, every shadow in the world.
He sat beside her immediately, taking her feet into his hands.
"Maa, rest. Let me help you."
Xiang flinched slightly.
"Chen… you don't have to. You should rest—"
"No," he whispered, voice low but firm. "Let me do this."
He massaged her tired feet, gentle yet deliberate. Her tension slowly melted. Xiang smiled faintly and closed her eyes.
As he continued, he leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to her ankle.
A silent vow.
To protect.
To rise.
To destroy anything that threatened the only person who had ever loved him unconditionally.
But then—
something shifted.
A sudden, sharp pulse of energy rippled through his senses.
Chen's eyes darkened, turning cold… predatory.