By the time dawn arrived, the destroyed district had already been sealed off.
Police barricades surrounded the broken streets while government vehicles blocked every entrance. News helicopters circled above the city endlessly, reporters speaking in hurried voices about a "massive gas explosion" that had somehow destroyed multiple buildings overnight.
But nobody believed it completely.
Not the hidden cultivation families.
Not the underground organizations.
And definitely not the people sensitive enough to feel the terrifying pressure that had descended from the heavens the night before.
Inside the highest floor of the Lin Corporation building, silence filled the office.
Rain still tapped lightly against the windows.
Lin Yanyan stood near the glass quietly, wearing a black silk shirt beneath a long gray coat, her expression calm but distant.
She hadn't slept.
Neither had Su Chen.
He sat on the couch nearby, one hand resting against his knee while faint golden traces occasionally flickered beneath his skin before fading again.
The awakening had stabilized.
For now.
But the atmosphere around him had changed permanently.
Even when he suppressed his aura completely, the surrounding spiritual energy still moved unnaturally around him.
Like instinctive submission.
Lin Yanyan finally spoke without turning around.
"The city is panicking."
"That's normal."
"You almost destroyed half of it."
"I didn't."
She looked back at him finally.
"…That's your defense?"
"The Watcher did more damage than me."
Lin Yanyan stared at him for several seconds before exhaling softly.
"…You really don't know how terrifying you sound sometimes."
Su Chen leaned slightly back against the couch.
"I'm still learning."
"That's not reassuring either."
A small silence followed.
Then her expression changed slightly.
More serious now.
"That thing called you a bloodline survivor."
"Yes."
"And the heavens themselves reacted to you."
"Yes."
"And apparently ancient beings older than the upper realms know who you are."
"Yes."
Lin Yanyan crossed her arms slowly.
"…Do you understand how insane that sounds?"
Su Chen looked at her calmly.
"Not really."
For a second she almost smiled.
Almost.
But it faded quickly.
Because despite his calmness—
She knew things had changed.
The Watcher's final words still lingered heavily in her mind.
The next ones sent after you will not hesitate.
That wasn't a threat.
It was certainty.
A knock interrupted the silence.
Then Zhao Ren entered immediately without waiting.
His expression looked exhausted.
And tense.
"Boss."
Su Chen looked toward him.
"You found something."
"Yes."
Zhao Ren placed a tablet onto the table before them.
Several images appeared on the screen instantly.
Destroyed mountains.
Collapsed buildings.
And one image showing a hidden cultivation sect almost completely flattened.
Lin Yanyan frowned slightly.
"…What am I looking at?"
Zhao Ren swallowed once before answering.
"These incidents happened overnight."
A pause.
"All over the world."
The atmosphere inside the office shifted instantly.
Su Chen's eyes narrowed slightly.
Zhao Ren continued heavily.
"Every location belonged to hidden cultivation forces."
Another image appeared.
An underground temple reduced to ruins.
Then another.
A hidden clan compound burning beneath black flames.
"Someone attacked them?" Lin Yanyan asked quietly.
"No," Zhao Ren replied.
"They attacked each other."
Silence.
Zhao Ren's face darkened.
"The moment the heavens cracked open last night… the entire hidden cultivation world went insane."
He pulled up another report.
"Ancient families are waking up. Hidden sects are mobilizing. Some are trying to investigate you."
His gaze shifted toward Su Chen.
"Others are trying to kill every remaining member of the Su bloodline before things get worse."
Lin Yanyan's eyes sharpened dangerously.
"How many bloodline members remain?"
Zhao Ren hesitated.
Then—
"…Maybe one."
Silence fell.
Su Chen didn't react outwardly.
But the room grew colder anyway.
The old man from last night sat quietly near the far side of the office, his damaged shoulder wrapped in fresh bandages.
He finally spoke.
"The upper realm clans erased almost everyone centuries ago."
Lin Yanyan looked toward him sharply.
"And you're telling us this now?"
The old man smiled faintly.
"You were busy surviving."
She didn't find that amusing.
Su Chen finally spoke.
"What's your name?"
The old man blinked slightly.
Then laughed quietly.
"…Right. I never gave it."
His eyes settled calmly on Su Chen.
"Xu Mingshan."
"You knew my ancestor."
"Yes."
"How?"
Xu Mingshan became quiet for a moment.
Then—
"I served him."
Silence.
Even Zhao Ren looked shocked.
"You served the ancient Su bloodline?"
Xu Mingshan nodded slowly.
"I was young then."
A faint smile appeared briefly.
"Arrogant too."
His eyes became distant.
"But your ancestor… he was different."
Su Chen watched him carefully.
"How strong was he?"
Xu Mingshan's expression slowly turned serious.
Then he answered quietly.
"Strong enough that the heavens feared him."
The office became silent again.
Not because of the statement.
Because Xu Mingshan genuinely meant it.
Lin Yanyan slowly walked toward the couch before sitting beside Su Chen.
Close enough for their shoulders to almost touch.
"Then tell us the truth," she said calmly.
Xu Mingshan looked at both of them quietly.
Then sighed.
"The Ancient Court you saw last night… was once ruled by the thirteen primordial bloodlines."
A pause.
"But the Su bloodline stood above even them."
Zhao Ren stared blankly.
"That doesn't even make sense…"
"It wasn't supposed to," Xu Mingshan replied.
"The Primordial Body was never balanced."
His eyes shifted toward Su Chen.
"Your bloodline could evolve endlessly without limit."
Lin Yanyan's fingers tightened slightly against her arm.
"No limits…"
Xu Mingshan nodded.
"And that terrified the upper realms."
Su Chen remained calm outwardly.
But inside—
The synchronization continued slowly.
Primordial synchronization: 74%
He could feel it now.
Something sleeping deep within his bloodline.
Not fully awake yet.
But no longer sealed completely either.
Then suddenly—
Every screen inside the office turned black at once.
The lights flickered violently.
Zhao Ren stood instantly.
"What the hell—"
A symbol slowly appeared across every monitor.
A silver eye.
The exact same eye as the Watcher.
Then—
A voice echoed throughout the office.
Cold.
Emotionless.
"We have located the descendant."
Everyone's expressions changed instantly.
The voice continued.
"Upper realm descent protocol has been approved."
Xu Mingshan's face lost all color.
"No…"
The silver eye pulsed once on every screen.
Then the final sentence appeared.
Estimated arrival: Seven days.
The monitors exploded simultaneously.
BOOM.
Smoke filled the office instantly.
And for the first time since awakening—
Even Su Chen's expression became slightly serious.