Rain continued falling across the silent street, washing over abandoned cars and flickering lights while the old man stood beneath his umbrella like he had all the time in the world.
Su Chen faced him calmly.
But behind him—
Zhao Ren's heartbeat had already accelerated.
Spirit Transformation Realm.
Even half-step into that realm was enough to crush most cultivators in the mortal world without effort. People at that level were legends hidden behind ancient families and forgotten records.
And now one was standing directly in front of them.
Looking at Su Chen like he had finally found something lost.
Lin Yanyan stepped out of the car next.
The rain touched her dark hair lightly as she moved beside Su Chen without hesitation.
The old man's gaze shifted toward her briefly.
Then paused.
"…Interesting."
Lin Yanyan's eyes narrowed slightly. "I get that a lot."
The old man smiled faintly.
"No fear. No retreat. Yet no cultivation aura."
A pause.
"And still standing beside him."
His attention returned to Su Chen.
"You've surrounded yourself with unusual people."
Su Chen's expression didn't change. "You talk too much for someone blocking the road."
Zhao Ren almost inhaled sharply at that response.
But the old man only chuckled softly.
"You really are his descendant."
"Whose?"
The old man looked at him carefully for a few seconds before answering.
"Su Tian."
The name meant nothing to Zhao Ren.
Nothing to Lin Yanyan.
But the moment it was spoken—
Something inside Su Chen's body stirred.
A faint pulse deep within his chest.
Ancient.
Heavy.
Sleeping.
His eyes sharpened slightly.
The old man noticed immediately.
"…So the bloodline reacted."
Su Chen took one step forward.
"Explain."
The old man's smile faded slightly.
"Not here."
"That sounds like a problem."
"It is."
Rain hit harder.
The pressure in the air thickened subtly, causing the nearby streetlights to flicker again.
Zhao Ren lowered his voice. "Boss… I don't trust this."
"You shouldn't," the old man answered before Su Chen could.
Zhao Ren's face stiffened.
The old man continued calmly, "Trust gets cultivators killed faster than weakness."
Lin Yanyan crossed her arms slightly. "Then why should we listen to you?"
The old man looked at her again.
Longer this time.
"You shouldn't either."
That answer made her eyes narrow further.
Not because she disliked it.
Because it sounded honest.
And honest people inside the cultivation world were rare.
Too rare.
Su Chen's voice cut through the rain.
"You mentioned upper families."
"Yes."
"And my bloodline."
"Yes."
"Then start talking."
The old man stayed silent for a moment before slowly lowering his umbrella slightly.
"Thousands of years ago, before the mortal world was sealed…"
Zhao Ren blinked. "…Sealed?"
The old man ignored him.
"There were thirteen ruling bloodlines standing above all cultivators. The Su bloodline was one of them."
Lin Yanyan's expression changed slightly.
Not shock.
Calculation.
Because this already sounded far beyond ordinary hidden family history.
The old man continued.
"Your ancestors were feared because of one thing."
His gaze locked onto Su Chen.
"The Ancient Primordial Body."
Silence hit instantly.
Zhao Ren looked at Su Chen sharply.
Lin Yanyan's fingers tightened slightly against her arm.
The old man saw their reactions and nodded slowly.
"So you already awakened it."
Su Chen didn't answer.
But silence itself became confirmation.
The old man exhaled quietly.
"…Then things are worse than I thought."
"Why?" Su Chen asked.
"Because that body was never meant to appear again."
Rainwater dripped slowly from the edge of the umbrella as the old man spoke.
"The Ancient Primordial Body does not cultivate like normal people. It devours laws. Evolves endlessly. Breaks balance."
His eyes darkened slightly.
"And balance is something the upper realms care deeply about."
Lin Yanyan stared at him.
"…Upper realms."
So the myths were true.
There really was something beyond the Saint Realm.
The old man nodded slightly.
"The mortal world believes Saint Realm is the peak because history was rewritten."
A pause.
"The truth was buried."
Zhao Ren felt cold all of a sudden.
Not from the rain.
From realization.
Everything they knew about cultivation…
Might have been incomplete from the start.
Su Chen remained calm.
Too calm.
"Why tell me this now?"
"Because they've noticed you."
"They?"
"The people who maintain the seal."
Silence.
Even the rain felt quieter for a moment.
Lin Yanyan spoke softly.
"…And they sent you."
The old man laughed once.
A tired sound.
"No."
"Then what are you?"
His eyes shifted toward the dark sky above the city.
"Someone who survived."
That answer carried weight.
Too much weight.
Su Chen watched him carefully.
"You're hiding something."
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because knowing too early is dangerous."
"That depends on the person."
The old man looked back at him slowly.
Then smiled faintly.
"…You really do sound like Su Tian."
A deep vibration suddenly spread through the air.
Everyone felt it.
The old man's expression changed instantly.
For the first time—
Real seriousness appeared in his eyes.
"They found me."
Zhao Ren stiffened. "Who?!"
The old man ignored him.
Instead, he looked directly at Su Chen.
"You need to leave this city soon."
"No."
The answer came instantly.
The old man frowned. "You don't understand what's coming."
"Then explain it better."
The old man stared at him for several seconds.
Then sighed.
"Your physique isn't just rare."
A pause.
"It's forbidden."
The word landed heavily.
"Every Ancient Primordial Body in history eventually challenged the heavens themselves. Entire realms collapsed because of them."
His voice lowered slightly.
"The last one nearly broke the upper realm gates."
Lin Yanyan's eyes flickered slightly.
Because she could hear it now.
The fear hidden underneath his calm.
This old man—
Was afraid.
Not of Su Chen now.
Of what Su Chen could become later.
The vibration in the air intensified again.
This time the nearby car windows cracked instantly.
Zhao Ren's face paled. "What the hell is that pressure…"
The old man stepped back slightly.
"You're out of time."
Then—
He threw something toward Su Chen.
A black ring.
Ancient.
Covered in faint silver markings.
Su Chen caught it easily.
"What is this?"
"A key."
"To what?"
The old man's eyes darkened slightly.
"To the truth your bloodline buried."
Before anyone could ask another question—
Space distorted behind him.
Not metaphorically.
Literally.
The air twisted unnaturally like reality itself had bent.
A figure slowly emerged from the distortion.
Tall.
Covered in black robes.
No visible face.
Only eyes.
Cold silver eyes.
The moment that figure appeared—
The entire street sank under terrifying pressure.
Zhao Ren dropped to one knee instantly.
Blood rose in his throat.
Lin Yanyan's breathing became uneven for the first time.
Even Su Chen's expression sharpened slightly.
Because this pressure—
Was beyond Spirit Transformation.
The silver-eyed figure spoke only one sentence.
"You should have stayed dead."
Then—
The killing intent exploded.