Part 1: True Authority
Time seemed to freeze in the Liu family courtyard.
City Lord Duan frowned. His stormy eyes flashed with a cold irritation. A mere young Transcendent dared to challenge his authority.
"Don't leave work unfinished?" Duan repeated softly but heavily. "Boy, you seem confused. Sects and Families can make noise, but in these lands, the Empire is the sky above your heads. And I am the one who holds up that sky in this city."
The City Lord stepped forward. No technique—he simply released 10% more of his Sacred Origin Stage 3 aura.
CRACK!
The marble floor beneath Samael's feet was pulverized. The pressure was absolute. It wasn't just strength; it was the majesty of a millennia-old Empire crushing a rebellious insect.
"Kneel," Duan ordered. "Accept imperial judgment. Your little vendetta isn't worth the disorder you've caused."
Kael, at a distance, tried to run but was pinned to the ground by the pressure. "Patriarch!"
Samael was bent over, his bones creaking. His human body was at its limit. The system screamed warnings of structural collapse. In the face of the Empire's true power, his current resistance was insignificant.
But then, the Unknown Variable in his blood awoke. It wasn't the cold, calculating Void. It was rage. An ancient, volcanic, and arrogant rage. A voice in his DNA roared: Kneel? Me? Before an ant that's barely touched the origin?
[ALERT! Critical Stress.] [Lineage [???] reacting to suppression.] [Forced Awakening: 1%.]
Samael's blood boiled, turning golden and thick like lava.
Part 2: The Roar of the Unknown Beast
Samael's eyes changed. The violet was devoured by a savage, vertical gold.
"I... do... not... KNEEL!"
Samael raised his head and opened his mouth. A guttural sound, a frequency that made the soul of everyone present vibrate, erupted from his throat.
ROOOOARRR!
It was not a human scream. It was the roar of an apex predator. City Lord Duan felt a chill run down his spine. For a split second, his survival instinct screamed danger.
"What...?!" Duan wavered, his perfect aura flickering in surprise. "What kind of beast hides in that skin?"
That instant of doubt was enough. The pressure on Samael lessened.
Samael didn't attack Duan. He turned toward Ancestor Liu, who lay on the ground smiling as he watched Samael suffer. The old man's smile froze as he saw Samael's dragon eyes fixed on him.
"The contract... is closed."
Samael dropped the Obsidian Fang. Gravity did the rest. The black sword fell like a guillotine, severing Ancestor Liu's neck.
[Obligatory Mission: COMPLETED.] [Liu Family: EXTERMINATED.]
Part 3: The Punishment
Silence returned. The roar stopped and Samael's eyes went back to normal, but blood poured from every pore. His body was not ready to channel even that 1% of unknown power.
Duan regained his composure. Surprise turned to annoyance. "Insolent."
Duan threw a casual palm strike into the air. A giant blue Qi hand struck Samael in the chest.
BOOOOM!
Samael was blasted like a cannonball, smashing through three walls and crashing outside. The impact shattered his ribs and internal organs. Duan had held back; if he'd wanted to kill him, Samael would have become red mist.
Samael stood amidst the rubble, staggering, held up only by his will. Duan floated toward him. "You have guts, or you're stupid. You killed a noble under my protection. The Empire has laws."
Part 4: The Blood Negotiation
Samael spat out a chunk of lung and looked at the City Lord.
"If you kill me... you'll have to deal with the Valois' mess yourself."
Duan raised an eyebrow. "You think the Empire fears a northern family? They have a Semi-Saint, sure. But the Empire also has Semi-Saints, Saints, the Emperor himself, and his Generals. We could wipe them out if we wanted."
"I know," Samael rasped. "But you're not paid to start civil wars; you're paid to maintain order. If Alaric Valois arrives and sees you killed his prey, he'll throw a tantrum. He'll cause trouble. Burn outlying villages. He'll be a bureaucratic headache for you, and the Emperor will ask why you couldn't control some rebellious nobles."
Duan paused. The boy was right. It wasn't fear—it was aversion to bureaucracy and unnecessary chaos.
"Continue," said Duan.
"Let me go. I'll be the bait. Alaric will follow me, away from your walls. Your city remains clean. I take out the trash."
Duan looked at the young man. That roar... that unknown lineage... Better it was someone else's problem.
"You have 7 days," Duan said, losing interest. "In 7 days, envoys from the North will arrive. If you're still here by then, I'll hand you over to them to save myself paperwork. Get out of my sight."
Part 5: The Mist Valley Crisis
Kael carried Samael as they fled into the forest. As they ran, the System burst with notifications only unconscious Samael could receive.
[CRITICAL STATE: Host's body 85% damaged.] [Lineage [???] energy detected. Initiating Assimilation Protocol (1%).]
[FORCED CULTIVATION!]
Transcendence Stage 5... SURPASSED. Transcendence Stage 7... SURPASSED. Final: Transcendence Stage 9 (Peak).
[MISSION REWARDS (SSS - Mythic Difficulty):]
+10,000 Family Luck Points. (Total: 18,800 – One step from Grade 8.) Earth-Grade Treasure Chest (Superior). Heaven-Grade Treasure Chest (Superior). (Note: Rewards stored. Host must be conscious to claim.) HIDDEN BONUS (For Surviving Origin): New Function Unlocked: "Blood Fusion." Description: Allows the Patriarch to purify the bloodlines of subordinates to eliminate impurities (increasing their potential) or extract "Talent Essence" from powerful defeated enemies to bestow it upon clan members.
Hours later, in the Valley of Mist.
The atmosphere was mournful. Kael entered carrying Samael's smoking, destroyed body, laying it gently on the central stone of the main cave.
"Patriarch!" the disciples shouted in unison.
The 4 surviving Elders (Elder Marcus, defense expert; Elder Livia, healer; Elder Torian, weapons master; and Elder Sela, strategist) gathered around the body with Great Elder Lilith.
"His body is burning," said Livia, trying to apply healing Qi but being repelled by a golden light. "There's a wild energy inside him rebuilding him. We can't touch him or he'll explode."
"What happened, Kael?" asked Lilith, pale.
"He challenged the City Lord," Kael replied, cleaning blood from his sword. "And won... politically. But we're on a timer. The Valois will arrive in 7 days."
Silence fell over the hall. Seven days. And their leader was in a coma. Eris and Violeta, the twins, came closer crying, but their foreheads shone with Red Destiny, resonating with their brother's golden aura.
"What do we do?" Marcus asked, his voice trembling. "Without the Patriarch, we can't fight the North."
Seraphina, who had been quietly watching Samael's body, stood. Her aura changed. She was no longer just the fiancée; she was the Empress.
"He left us instructions before leaving," Seraphina lied to calm hearts, recalling the formation disc Samael had given her. "Kael, bring out the Formation Disc from the first treasure."
Kael produced the black jade disc: the "Veil of the Dark Nebula" Formation (Lower Heaven Grade).
"Elders Marcus, Torian, Sela, Livia," Seraphina ordered. "Take this to the center of the Valley. Activate it with all the spiritual stones we have left. This formation will hide our presence and kill anyone below the Origin Realm who tries to enter."
"What if someone from the Origin Realm comes?" Torian asked.
"Then we pray he wakes up in time," Seraphina said, looking at Samael. "He has the resources. He has the secrets. We just have to buy him time."
Great Elder Lilith struck her staff on the ground. "Listen to Lady Seraphina. Activate the formation. Kael, organize the surviving Shadows at the perimeter. No one sleeps. No one rests. For the next 7 days, the Valley of Mist vanishes from the map."
As the clan rushed to prepare for the imminent siege, Samael slept, his body shining as his cultivation soared silently through monstrous levels, with two legendary chests waiting in his mind to be opened.