The Treasury courtyard was an arena of impending violence. Twenty elite disciples, all at the 8th or 9th Level of Body Refining, encircled Han Feng, their eyes tracking the massive, rusted slab of iron in his grip.
"I'll give you one last chance, trash," Elder Feng sneered from behind his barrier of flame. "Drop the stolen stones, kneel, and I might only cripple you instead of killing you."
"Your 'chances' are worthless to me, old man," Han Feng said. He shifted his stance, his feet digging into the stone. The Chaos Record was already calculating the trajectories of every disciple.
[Optimal Strike Zone Identified.]
[Chaos Strike: World-Weight Charging... 30%... 70%...]
"Arrogant! Kill him!" Elder Feng screamed.
The twenty disciples surged forward simultaneously, a coordinated attack of spears, swords, and axes. A normal 7th Level cultivator would have been diced instantly. Han Feng didn't use a flashy move. He didn't use speed. He used raw, concentrated mass.
He took a half-step back, twisted his hips, and let out a guttural roar, unleashing the full gravity of the 800-pound slab.
SHAAAA!
The swing was so slow it was almost painful to watch, yet it displaced the air with the force of a tectonic shift. It wasn't a sword strike; it was an industrial accident.
[Ding!]
Chaos Strike: World-Weight Released!
Effect: Density increased 500% at the moment of impact.
The massive iron blade struck the wall of approaching weapons. It didn't bounce. It didn't deflect. It absorbed.
CRUNCH-CRACK!
A shockwave of sheer force exploded outward. The twenty high-grade mortal weapons—spears, axes, and swords—shattered into twisted metallic dust. The disciples themselves, caught in the inescapable gravitational field of the strike, were thrown backward, colliding with the Treasury walls so hard the stone fractured.
Only Elder Feng, protected by his Pulse Condensation barrier, remained standing, though his flame barrier was flickering violently.
"Y-You..." Elder Feng's voice was a whisper. He looked at the 800-pound slab, which hadn't even chips from the impact. "That... that's not a weapon. That's a curse."
Han Feng, his own internal Qi humming, didn't give the Elder a moment to recover. He took a heavy step forward, the ground shaking.
"My turn," Han Feng said. He reversed the swing, the heavy iron now aimed directly for the Elder.
The iron slab carved a path through the atmosphere, the air screaming as it was displaced. Elder Feng didn't even have time to flee. He crossed his arms, pouring every drop of his Pulse Condensation Qi into a desperate, final shield.
[Collision Detected.]
[Chaos Record: Initiating Structural Collapse.]
When the iron slab met the Elder's barrier, there was no sound of impact—only the sound of erasure. The fire Qi was sucked into the rusted surface of the blade, fueling its weight. The "World-Weight" bypassed the Elder's defense entirely, slamming into his chest with the force of a falling moon.
BOOM.
The shockwave blew the remaining roof tiles off the Treasury. Elder Feng was driven into the stone floor, creating a crater five meters deep. His ribs didn't just break; they turned to powder. His cultivation base, the source of his pride, shattered like a dropped mirror.
Han Feng stood at the edge of the crater, the heavy sword resting on his shoulder. He wasn't even breathing hard. The Chaos Record glowed a deep, satisfied violet in his mind.
"Elder Feng," Han Feng looked down into the pit where the old man lay coughing up blood.
"You said stealing from the Treasury is a capital offense. I say, stopping a Sovereign from claiming his due is a sin against the Heavens."
Han Feng turned his gaze to the twenty disciples who were still conscious. They were trembling, some even wetting themselves. To them, Han Feng was no longer the "Trash" they had mocked. He was a demon in human skin.
"Anyone else want to explain the 'Clan Laws' to me?" Han Feng asked.
Silence.
"Good."
Han Feng walked toward the gates, his footsteps heavy and rhythmic. As he passed the cowering guards, he tossed a single, blood-stained coin at their feet.
"Tell the Third Elder I'm going back to my shack. If he wants his Treasury back, tell him to come himself. But tell him to bring a coffin. He's going to need it."
As Han Feng disappeared into the mountain mist, the Chaos Record chimed once more.
[New Arc Triggered: The Sect Recruitment Trials.]
[Hidden Mission: Slaughter the Third Elder's Lineage.]
[Reward: The First Form of the Chaos Sword Art.]
The long road to the Nine Heavens had truly begun.