The fire at the Myriad Treasures Pavilion surged to the heavens, turning a corner of the open-air market into a blazing sea of flames. Screams, curses, and the thunderous sounds of collapsing buildings blended together into a symphony of chaos and destruction. The curious crowds had long since fled in terror; only those with true ability, or those with bottomless greed, remained hidden in the shadows, observing a chessboard that had completely spiraled out of control.
Within the sea of flames, the chaotic melee between the three great factions reached a brutal conclusion. There was no winner.
Manh Tam of the Crazy Sand Gang, despite his valor, was the one most lacking in strategy. Assaulted jointly by the Blood Demoness of the Phantom Shadow Pavilion and the men of the Black Dragon Stronghold, he was ultimately severely injured by a sneak attack from behind. He fled, leaving more than half of his subordinates behind to become roasted corpses.
The Blood Demoness fared no better. Though cunning, she had underestimated the sheer madness of the denizens of the City of Chaos. After severely wounding Manh Tam, she instantly became the collective target of the smaller factions prowling the perimeter. Ultimately, it took a monumental effort for her to break through the encirclement with a few trusted subordinates, her heart brimming with fury and unwillingness.
The ones who suffered the least losses were, surprisingly, the men of the Black Dragon Stronghold. That skinny-faced leader was incredibly sly. From the very moment the melee began, he never charged to the front; instead, he had his subordinates harass from the outer edges, sitting on the mountain to watch the tigers fight. Seeing that the situation was unsalvageable, he was the first to lead his men in an orderly retreat.
Tran Kien's stratagem of "muddying the waters to catch the fish" had finally caused all the big fish in the pond to bite and tear at one another until they were covered in grievous wounds.
And the true fish, the one who had walked away with the entire net, had long since leisurely swum out of the murky waters.
Tran Kien glided through the dark, labyrinthine alleys of the City of Chaos like a phantom. He showed no signs of haste. After escaping the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, he did not return straight to his inn. He knew that place was definitely no longer safe.
He took a detour through the western district, where the smithies and craftsmen's quarters were located. The scent of coal and molten metal permeated the air. He carefully erased all his tracks, changed his attire once more, and transformed into a blacksmith's apprentice, his face smeared with soot.
Finally, he entered a dead-end alley and stopped before an ordinary-looking iron door. He raised his hand and knocked in a specific rhythm taught to him by Elder Ve: two short taps, three long, then one short again.
The iron door soundlessly swung open. A mute man, as massive as an iron tower, appeared. He said nothing, merely staring quietly at Tran Kien.
Tran Kien also remained silent. He simply presented a rusted copper coin.
Upon seeing the coin, the mute man's previously frigid gaze instantly became respectful. He took a step back, bowed his head, and gestured for Tran Kien to enter.
This was one of Elder Ve's secret strongholds in the City of Chaos. A place of absolute safety.
Inside was a small courtyard containing only a single room and a cold forge. Tran Kien walked straight into the room. He did not light a lamp. Sitting down in the darkness, he began to regulate his breathing.
Although the recent escape did not involve actual combat, the intense tension and the continuous exertion of his mind to execute his schemes had taken an immense toll on his mental energy.
One sichen later, when the Primordial Chaos Qi within his body had completely stabilized, Tran Kien slowly opened his eyes. In the darkness, his eyes shone like two brilliant stars.
He carefully retrieved the item from his robes—the very prize he had wagered a life-and-death chessboard to obtain.
The Demon General Medallion!
The black wooden medallion lay silently in the palm of his hand. It did not possess the world-shaking aura of a supreme treasure. It was cold, gloomy, and within that blood-written character "Sát" (Kill), there seemed to harbor the resentment of tens of thousands of living souls.
Tran Kien slightly furrowed his brows. He did not rush to probe it with his Primordial Chaos Qi. He knew that with demonic artifacts of this caliber, if one wasn't careful, the resentful aura within could easily invade the divine soul.
He merely observed it in silence. He recalled the unofficial histories he had read. The Blood Hand Demon General, a grand fiend of a century ago, was not a brute lacking in intellect. He was renowned for his military prowess; his Blood Fiend Guards, though few in number, were elite beyond compare and absolutely loyal. This medallion was definitely not just a simple summoning token.
He flipped the medallion over.
On the back, there were no words, but rather a small, complex array formation diagram. It was not a formation of Lac Viet. It was a type of "Blood Sacrifice Array" from the Demonic Path.
Tran Kien froze. He finally understood.
This was no summoning medallion. This was a trap! A legacy trap!
The Blood Hand Demon General had not died completely. Using a secret art, he had sealed a wisp of his remnant soul and his entire legacy into this medallion. Any ignorant fool who used their spiritual energy to activate it would instantly face possession by his remnant soul, becoming a new bodily vessel for his resurrection!
What a vicious scheme! Tran Kien broke out in a cold sweat. Had he not read countless tomes and possessed profound knowledge, he likely would have fallen into this lethal trap.
But simultaneously, a surge of excitement swelled in his heart. A trap, yes, but also a serendipity worth a thousand pieces of gold! The legacy of a Demon General from a century ago... if he could absorb it...
He hesitated no longer. However, he did not use his Primordial Chaos Qi.
He bit his fingertip, squeezing out a drop of crimson blood. His blood, having fused with the Dragon Vein, was no longer that of a mortal. It contained an incomparably potent life force and an unyielding righteous aura.
He let the drop of blood fall onto the character "Sát" on the front of the medallion.
"SZZZZZ—!!!"
The moment Tran Kien's blood made contact, the Demon General Medallion abruptly erupted with monstrous black smoke and a heaven-piercing bloody light. An inhuman shriek, laced with boundless fury and unwillingness, echoed from within the medallion.
"WHO?! Who dares use Dragon Qi to destroy my remnant soul!!!"
The billowing black smoke and resentful aura surged forth, intending to launch a lethal strike against Tran Kien.
But Tran Kien had long been prepared. He circulated his Primordial Chaos Qi, activating the Solar Essence Guardian fragment. A halo of golden light, upright, brilliant, and unyielding, enveloped his entire body.
When the black smoke met the halo of light, it was like snow encountering the blazing sun; it instantly disintegrated, emitting terrifying sizzling sounds.
The remnant soul of the Blood Hand Demon General let out one final, despairing roar before it was completely incinerated into nothingness by the righteous aura of the Dragon Vein and the "Guardian" aura.
The Demon General Medallion, stripped entirely of its resentful aura, fell to the floor with a clack. The bloody "Sát" character vanished, replaced by a massive, pure stream of information that shot directly into Tran Kien's divine soul.
It was the complete legacy of the Blood Hand Demon General: an overbearing demonic cultivation art, a vicious saber manual, and most importantly, the method to contact and summon the surviving Blood Fiend Guards.
Tran Kien let out a long breath, a bizarre light glinting in his eyes.
He would not cultivate the demonic art. But that saber manual could serve as a reference to supplement his own Saber Intent—Hundredfold Tempered.
And as for that army of Blood Fiend Guards...
The time has come, he murmured to himself, to possess a faction of my own.
Black Dragon Stronghold, Phantom Shadow Pavilion, Crazy Sand Gang... you have finished acting out your parts. Now, it is my turn to step onto the stage.