Xiomei's eyes narrowed. "Show me."
He handed her a tablet and the screen lit up displaying masked figures in dark robes laughing in distorted voices.
> "Pekking's little angel of justice," one of them sneered. "Still too slow. Next time, we'll take something you actually care about."
Her eyes flashed with killing intent causing a flicker of violet lightning to ripple through the air around her.
"Enough of this mockery," she said coldly, handing the tablet back. "Pull every city surveillance feed. Cross-check the spirit fluctuations in the vicinity. I want everything that breathes demonic energy flagged."
Then, she faced the growing crowd of reporters behind the police line, straightened her coat and stepped forward.
Microphones thrust toward her face.
> "Lieutenant Xiomei! The Xiao Demons have killed again — do you have any leads?"
She gave a curt nod.
"To the citizens of Pekking City — remain calm. The Xiao Demons believe they can hide in the shadows forever. But shadows only exist because of light," she voiced with a confident tone.
"And I am that light. We will find them. That's a promise."
...
...
The cresent moon hung high above the city looking as pale, indifferent, and cold as it always did.
Atop a barren stretch of wasteland near Pekking City's outskirts, the night wind howled, whipping dust into spirals.
Fang Chen sat cross-legged on a smooth rock with his eyes closed in deep meditation.
The faint buzzing of energy filled the silence, growing louder, sharper, until it snapped like lightning.
He opened his eyes.
Twin streaks of gold gleamed in his pupils.
> "Twenty percent," he muttered while rolling his shoulders. "It's not much… but it'll do."
He could finally sense the existence of one of his ancient vaults buried somewhere within this city. Its signature pulled faintly at his core like a whisper in the wind.
However, he couldn't completely pinpoint his location. His recovery was still not high enough. He was well aware that he needed to reach at least 30% of his full strength before he would be able to pinpoint its precise location.
So he rose to his feet while dusting off his pants.
"Let's see what this frail body can still do," he murmured while his lips curled into a faint, predatory grin.
As he began to move, his fists and feet carved through the air like whips.
The sound alone shattered the stillness...
boom, boom, boom!
Each punch detonater air pockets. The sand churned and spun in violent circles while pebbles cracked under invisible pressure.
"Hmph. Too stiff," Fang Chen muttered before switching to another stance. "This body's meridians are like clogged streams."
His movements blurred. A palm strike created a visible shockwave that dug a trench several meters deep into the ground.
Then, as if irritated by his own mediocrity, Fang Chen exhaled deeply.
"Fine then… let's loosen it up the old-fashioned way."
The ground trembled.
A powerful aura erupted from him like an explosion as he released raw qi energy thar rippled outward in concentric waves.
Dust billowed into the air, trees bent backward, and stones rolled across the earth as if bowing before a god.
---
Pekking City Main Command Center – Alarms Blare
"Massive qi disturbance detected!"
"Coordinates: Sector 17, near the east ridge!"
"Magnitude level—off the charts!"
Officers and cultivators scrambled into position as the entire control room glowed red with alerts.
> "That's not human qi! It's too chaotic!"
"Could it be a wild beast?!"
"No beast has been recorded with readings that high!"
Lieutenant Xiomei's image flashed across the command center's screen.
> "Mobilize the High-Level Response Unit," she ordered. "No civilians in the area — we strike immediately. Capture or eliminate on sight."
---
Back at the Ridge…
Fang Chen inhaled deeply, gathering his qi into his palm.
A faint smirk crossed his lips.
"Now this," he whispered, "should wake the heavens a little."
He slammed his hand forward.
The earth trembled as the air detonated in a deafening boom!
A hundred feet wide crater carved itself into the wasteland, sending sand and trees flying in every direction.
The very sky above twisted under the sheer pressure of released energy.
When the dust settled, Fang Chen stood in the center, completely calm, brushing off his sleeves.
"Truly pitiful," he said with a sigh. "Back then, this much power could flatten mountains. Now it only tickles the dirt."
The moment he turned to leave, the unmistakable rush of air being sliced apart, rang out across the surroundings.
Within seconds, lights illuminated the wasteland as dozens of cultivator-officers descending from the sky on swords or glowing weapons, formed a perimeter.
Their uniforms bore the crest of Pekking City's Police Force.
"Huh? What's a kid doing around here?" One of the officers noticed Fang Chen and swooped down.
"Hey kid, its not safe around here, leave immediately!" He yelled.
Fang Chen only spared the officer a glance before stating pridefully while leaving; "Nothing could every threaten the life of this immortal."
The officer ignored him and joined up with the others ahead while scanning the perimeter.
"Unbelievable... See what it did..." Another officer voiced out while pointing at the crater up ahead and the uprooted trees scattered around.
"We're definitely dealing with a very powerful one here... powerful enough to threaten the safety of our city. We might have to call an emergency curfew," a female officer pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose with a tensed look.
"Erm... aren't we forgetting something? The beast... It's nowhere in sight," the other officer from earlier pointed out.
They all stared at each other and instantly fanned out to look for what caused the transformation of the surroundings.
However, when they couldn't find the beast responsible for the qi disturbance, they flew after Fang Chen who was still in the process of leaving, and landed before him.
"Kid! Did you see a beast around here?!"
Fang Chen blinked slowly.
"Beast?" he repeated while tilting his head. "You mean besides the ones yelling at me right now?"
The officers exchanged glances. One frowned while scanning the surroundings.
"Stop joking around. We detected a massive qi flare here — strong enough to collapse a building. What happened?"
Fang Chen clasped his hands behind his back, looking utterly unconcerned.
"Ah… that," he said casually. "Merely stretching after meditation."
> "Stretching?" one of them barked in disbelief. "You expect us to believe that you caused that crater?"
Fang Chen looked around, at the smoking pit, at the bent trees, and then back at them.
> "No, you're right," he said with an exaggeratedly innocent face. "It was a very angry squirrel. Truly terrifying creature."
A few younger officers choked, clearly unsure whether to laugh or draw their weapons.
But their leader narrowed his eyes, sensing something off about this boy's calmness and that faint, oppressive energy still lingering in the air.
> "Identify yourself," he demanded. "Name. Affiliation. And what cultivation system you're using."
Fang Chen smirked faintly.
"Names are meaningless to ants," he responded with ancient arrogance. "But if you must know… they once called me Fang Chen."
The officers froze.
That name…
That name was a legend... whispered in old scrolls and forbidden archives.
Before anyone could react further, a powerful gust of qi cut through the night, emitting authoritative aura.
It was approaching at an incredibly fast pace, drawing everyone's attention... including Fang Chen.
He smiled faintly with his golden eyes glinting with curiosity.
"I sense the approach of a great beauty…"