The stone above vaporized into fine, gray dust. No explosion, no grand concussive blast—just the silent, absolute erasure characteristic of the heavenly tribulation Lu Chen had just devoured.
But the silence didn't last.
A suffocating pressure crashed down through the newly formed crater in the street. The foul, damp air of the aqueducts instantly crystallized into frost. Floating slowly down through the jagged hole was a figure bathed in a radiant, almost blinding golden light.
Fang Tianyou.
Lu Chen stood perfectly still in the shadows, less than thirty paces away. His newly forged Spirit-rank Void Root hummed in his Dantian, circulating his Qi with a terrifying, silent efficiency. He layered his Void Sword Intent over his physical form, turning himself into a localized absence of reality. He didn't breathe. He didn't project killing intent. To the world, and to any spiritual sense, Lu Chen simply did not exist.
Through the gloom, Lu Chen stared at the man who had ruined his life. Fang Tianyou looked like a descending deity. But what made Lu Chen's blood run cold with a quiet, murderous rage wasn't the man's arrogant posture or his pristine white Azure Cloud Sect robes. It was the Qi Yun radiating from him.
Through the passive vision of the Luck-Binding Mirror resting in his soul, Lu Chen saw a towering pillar of thick, liquid-gold providence swirling around Fang Tianyou. It was majestic, pure, and overwhelming.
It was also stolen.
My providence, Lu Chen thought, his obsidian eyes unblinking. My innate talent. You wear it well, Tianyou. For now.
Fang Tianyou landed softly on the cracked stone floor of the aqueduct, his golden-white boots untouched by the grime. He waved a hand, dispelling the lingering dust with a wave of pure Sword Intent. His brow furrowed in deep concentration as he scanned the destruction.
"A tribulation of annihilation," Fang Tianyou muttered, his voice echoing in the wet silence. "Yet, no charred remains. No lingering heavenly wrath. Who broke through here?"
Two Azure Cloud Enforcers dropped down behind him, their swords drawn. "Young Master Fang! Is it a demon?"
"Demons leave a stench," Fang Tianyou replied coldly. "This is... nothing. An absolute void. Search the perimeter. If someone of this caliber is hiding in Cloud Edge City, I want to know who they are before the Providence Tournament begins."
As the Enforcers scattered, Lu Chen slowly backed away, letting the darkness swallow him. He was a Foundation Establishment cultivator now, but Fang Tianyou's aura felt dense, teetering on the very edge of the Golden Core realm. The stolen Innate Spirit Root had accelerated Fang's cultivation to monstrous levels. Engaging now would be suicide.
Lu Chen needed more. More luck. More Heavenly Opportunities.
Slipping through the subterranean maze, Lu Chen retreated to a dry alcove. He summoned the spatial ring he had looted from Ma Bo earlier. With a thought, he broke the dead man's lingering spiritual mark and dumped the contents onto the floor.
Low-grade spirit stones clattered against vials of cheap healing pills. But amidst the mundane loot, a heavy, obsidian token caught the faint light. It was etched with a simple, chilling motif: a sword dripping a single drop of shadowed blood.
An entry token to the Shadow Sword Pavilion.
In the Age of Fading Providence, when the world's spiritual energy was drying up and every sect hoarded their resources, the Shadow Sword Pavilion thrived on a different currency: secrets. They were assassins, yes, but more importantly, they were the greatest information brokers in the Great Azure Realm.
If Lu Chen was going to hunt the 'Chosen Ones' to upgrade his Void Root and reclaim his destiny, he needed a map of the prey.
***
The Ghost Market of Cloud Edge City did not exist on any official map. It was nestled beneath the slaughterhouse district, accessible only through a labyrinth of decaying alleys that stank of rotting meat and dried blood.
Lu Chen arrived at a dead-end alleyway guarded by a blind butcher hacking rhythmically at a slab of ambiguous meat. Lu Chen didn't speak. He simply tossed the obsidian token onto the butcher's bloody chopping block.
The butcher paused, tracing the etched sword with a grimy, calloused thumb. Without a word, he slammed his cleaver into the wall beside him. The brickwork shimmered, illusion giving way to reality, revealing a descending stone staircase lit by pale green luminous pearls.
Lu Chen adjusted his disguise. Using his Void Root, he suppressed his Foundation Establishment cultivation, projecting the aura of a completely average, unremarkable 6th Stage Qi Refinement rogue cultivator. He pulled his dark hood low and descended.
The stench of the slaughterhouse faded, replaced by the heavy scent of sandalwood, ozone, and old blood. The underground cavern was massive, a sprawling bazaar of tents and stone kiosks. Cultivators in masks and cloaks bartered in hushed whispers. The tension in the air was palpable; this was a place where a single wrong look could end in a severed throat.
Lu Chen ignored the stalls peddling cursed artifacts and blood-refined pills. He navigated directly to the center of the cavern, where a large, multi-story pagoda carved from dark wood stood. The banner above the door read: Shadow Sword Pavilion - Knowledge is Life.
He stepped inside. The interior was surprisingly elegant, lined with shelves of jade slips and illuminated by floating spirit lanterns. Behind a long, polished obsidian counter sat a man wearing a mask that covered the upper half of his face, leaving only a mouth scarred by severe burns.
"Welcome, honored guest," the scarred man said, his voice like grinding stones. "Do you seek a life to be ended, or a secret to be unveiled?"
"Information," Lu Chen said, his voice modulated to a rough, raspy pitch. He approached the counter, resting one hand near his hidden blade. "I need a list."
"We have lists of bounties, lists of Azure Cloud Sect patrol routes, lists of disgraced elders..."
"I want a catalog of miracles," Lu Chen interrupted.
The scarred man paused, his smile fading. "Clarify."
"I want the names of the young, rising stars in the Eastern Province. Specifically, I want those who have experienced sudden, inexplicable leaps in fortune within the past month. Those who survived impossible odds, stumbled upon ancient inheritances, or found mythical beasts pledging loyalty to them. I want the heavily favored."
The broker leaned forward, his remaining visible eye narrowing. "You are asking for a list of the 'Providence-Heavy'. In this Age of Fading Providence, those individuals are the darlings of the Heavens. Cultivating near them brings fortune. Being their enemy brings death. The information you ask for is... highly irregular. And expensive."
Lu Chen didn't blink. He reached into his robe and tossed a heavy, silk pouch onto the counter. It landed with a dull, heavy thud. It contained the entire cache of mid-grade spirit stones he had looted from the three Azure Cloud scouts in the Abyss, along with Ma Bo's life savings.
The broker opened the pouch. The dense spiritual energy of the stones illuminated his scarred chin. He chuckled, a dry, rattling sound.
"You have a death wish, friend. Hunting the lucky is a fool's errand. The Heavens protect them. A rogue arrow will strike you, or you will trip on a blade of grass and break your neck before you even draw your sword against them."
"Let me worry about the Heavens," Lu Chen replied coldly. "The list."
The broker nodded, turning to a wall of thousands of jade slips. He ran his hand along a specific row, plucking a dark green slip from the shelf. He slid it across the counter.
"The Eastern Province Providence Index, updated as of three days ago," the broker said. "Remember, the Shadow Sword Pavilion takes no responsibility for your inevitable demise."
Lu Chen took the slip, pressing it against his forehead. He injected a sliver of Qi into the jade, and a flood of information rushed into his mind.
Names, locations, and brief histories materialized in his consciousness.
Zhao Feng - Azure Cloud Inner Sect. Discovered a thousand-year-old spirit spring in his backyard. Heavily guarded.
Lin Muxue...
Lu Chen's heart skipped a beat at the name of his former fiancée.
Lin Muxue - Azure Cloud Sect. Recently awakened the Frost Phoenix Bloodline after a 'fortunate encounter'. Currently cultivating in the Sect Master's private peak.
Lu Chen's grip on the jade slip tightened until spiderweb cracks formed on its surface. He forced his anger down into the cold void of his Dantian. Not yet. They were too well-protected. He needed a softer target, someone whose luck he could harvest without drawing the immediate fury of the entire Azure Cloud Sect.
He scanned further down the list.
Xue Ming - Young Master of the Iron Blood Hall. Cultivation: 8th Stage Qi Refinement. Recent anomalies: Survived a lethal ambush by a Foundation Establishment beast a week ago. Fell into a ravine and discovered the lost ring of a Core Formation elder. Has broken through two minor realms in five days. Rumored to be seeking a specific complementary artifact to unlock the ring's ultimate inheritance.
Lu Chen opened his eyes. The Iron Blood Hall was a second-rate faction, brutal but lacking the overwhelming backing of the Azure Cloud Sect. Xue Ming was an 8th Stage Qi Refinement cultivator experiencing a massive surge of Heavenly Providence.
He was the perfect pig, fattened by the Heavens, just waiting to be slaughtered.
Suddenly, the Luck-Binding Mirror in Lu Chen's Dantian vibrated violently. It wasn't a warning of danger; it was the ravenous pulse of a predator smelling blood.
Lu Chen focused his inner sight on the mirror. The artifact's bronze surface shimmered, projecting a faint, ethereal golden thread of Qi Yun that trailed off into the distance. But the distance wasn't far. The thread pulsed with a thick, syrupy golden light, and it was leading directly deeper into the Ghost Market.
He's here, Lu Chen realized, a predatory smirk touching the corners of his mouth. Xue Ming is in the black market.
The broker had mentioned Xue Ming was seeking a complementary artifact. What better place to find an obscure, ancient treasure than the Shadow Sword Pavilion's underground auctions?
Lu Chen turned away from the counter, pulling his hood lower. He followed the invisible golden thread of providence, weaving through the crowded bazaar. The thread led him toward a heavily guarded archway at the back of the cavern—the VIP Auction House.
Two burly guards crossed their halberds as Lu Chen approached. "Invitation only," one grunted.
Lu Chen didn't slow down. He channeled his Void Sword Intent into his fingertips. It wasn't an attack meant to kill; it was an attack meant to erase. He tapped the steel heads of the halberds as he walked past.
The weapons didn't shatter. They simply ceased to exist, turning into fine ash that drifted away before the guards even registered the loss of weight in their hands. By the time they looked down in shock, Lu Chen had already slipped through the heavy velvet curtains into the auction hall.
The hall was a circular amphitheater, dark and quiet, save for the auctioneer on a central stage displaying a rusted, archaic sword guard. Lu Chen ignored the stage. His eyes, guided by the Luck-Binding Mirror, locked onto a private balcony above.
There sat Xue Ming, a young man in crimson robes, practically glowing with a dense, blinding aura of golden Qi Yun. The aura was thickest around his right hand, where a dull silver ring rested on his finger. The 'Heavenly Opportunity' was palpable. The rusted sword guard on the stage was the key Xue Ming needed, and the Heavens had arranged for him to be here to buy it.
Lu Chen mentally drew his sword, the Void Root spinning rapidly. If he could siphon that luck just as Xue Ming acquired the item, the backlash of severed destiny would shatter the young master's mind, leaving him easy prey.
Lu Chen moved silently up the velvet-lined stairs toward the balcony. He merged perfectly with the shadows, an invisible reaper ascending to claim his harvest.
He reached the landing just outside Xue Ming's private booth. He raised his hand, gathering the silent, world-erasing power of his Sword Intent.
But as he stepped forward, the shadows in the corridor inexplicably parted.
The temperature in the hallway plummeted, the stale air suddenly smelling of fresh pine and crisp mountain snow. A beam of ethereal, silver moonlight—impossible this far underground—bled through the ceiling, illuminating the corridor.
Standing directly between Lu Chen and the door to Xue Ming's booth was a figure in pristine, flowing white robes. A veil obscured the lower half of her face, but her eyes, like twin pools of tranquil starlight, were piercing.
Ye Xiyue.
The Saintess of the Fallen Moon Palace stood with her hand resting lightly on the hilt of a slender, moon-white sword.
Lu Chen froze. He was perfectly camouflaged. His Void Intent was flawless. He had bypassed Golden Core arrays and Azure Cloud Enforcers without a whisper. Yet, Ye Xiyue wasn't looking at the door. She wasn't looking at Xue Ming.
Her piercing eyes were locked directly onto the empty, invisible space where Lu Chen stood.
"The Heavens are blind, but the Sword Heart sees the void," Ye Xiyue whispered softly, her voice echoing in the silent corridor as she slowly began to draw her blade. "I knew the darkness would seek to feed tonight."