A pungent, sour smell, mixed with mold and dead rats, wafted into his nostrils.
Jiang Chen stopped in an abandoned sewer, leaning against the damp, cold wall, looking as if he had just been pulled from the water.
A wave of exhaustion washed over him, leaving him without the strength to even move a finger.
Did he win?
No, he had merely transformed from a doomed prey into a defeated dog that had narrowly escaped.
Zhao Wuliang was not dead, nor had he suffered a fatal injury; only his Lifebound Treasure was damaged. Once he recovered, the next pursuit would be even more frenzied and ruthless than this one.
Yet, there was not a trace of dejection on Jiang Chen's face.
He lowered his head, looking at the broken sword in his hand.
The faint crimson glow on the sword's body had long since dissipated, and it had reverted to its rusty appearance. In fact, due to the intense collision just now, several new nicks had appeared on its blade.
But it was this piece of scrap metal that, for the first time, allowed him to truly feel the power of "resistance."
He slowly closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into his body.
In his Dantian, the Formless Life Essence, which had previously been no more than a small stream, had now converged into a surging river.
The host absorbed the power of destiny backlash from the Child of Destiny, Ye Liuyun, increasing Formless Life Essence by a total of 188 units.
35 units of Formless Life Essence were consumed to activate Sword Dao Enlightenment.
Current total Formless Life Essence: 210 units.
Body strength significantly increased, Meridians toughness significantly increased, Divine Soul strength slightly increased.
The gains were unprecedentedly huge!
Just one Child of Destiny in a "suppression period" brought him nearly two hundred units of life essence, more than four times that of Lin Feng last time!
Jiang Chen did not hesitate, immediately mobilizing this vast power to begin repairing his body.
Warm, balanced, and peaceful energy flowed through his limbs and bones, like a dry riverbed welcoming the spring flood.
His internal organs, injured by Zhao Wuliang's palm wind, were rapidly healing.
The Meridians, torn from forcefully activating the Rain of Sorrow Sword Intent, were being reconnected, widened, and strengthened.
Even the needle-like fatigue deep within his Divine Soul slowly receded under the nourishment of the life essence.
This process was like soaking in a hot bath in the dead of winter, so comfortable it almost made him groan aloud.
Half an hour later.
Jiang Chen slowly exhaled a breath of turbid Qi, tinged with a faint scent of blood, and opened his eyes again.
His injuries were mostly healed.
He stood up, stretched his limbs, and felt an unprecedented sense of fullness within his body.
He could feel that his five senses had become several times sharper than before.
He could hear the rustling of a cockroach crawling across a pipe ten feet away.
He could smell the sour odor carried on the wind, a mixture of three different food scraps.
And his gaze could penetrate the darkness, clearly seeing every rust pattern on the rusty iron grate at the end of the sewer.
This was power.
Power, savagely "gnawed" from the lives of others.
He once again focused his attention on the newly acquired talent.
Sword Dao Enlightenment (Incomplete).
As his thoughts sank in, countless chaotic images resurfaced.
But this time, it was no longer the violent impact from before, but rather like a video that could be paused and fast-forwarded at any time.
He saw Ye Liuyun's hands being pricked by the barbs on the hilt the first time he held a sword, making him grimace in pain, yet he stubbornly refused to let go.
He saw Ye Liuyun standing under a waterfall for three days and three nights to master a single "Startling Swan" move, letting the water flow impact him until his body could move with the direction of the current like willow catkins, yet not be carried away by it.
He saw that on the eve of Ye Liuyun comprehending the Rain of Sorrow Sword Intent, his Family was wiped out overnight by enemies. He hid in the woodshed, listening to the screams and wails of his clansmen, biting his teeth until they bled, yet lacking even the courage to draw his sword.
Shame, indignation, unwillingness, despair... these emotions were no longer merely negative feelings; they were like bricks, forming the Foundation of the Rain of Sorrow Sword Intent.
It turned out that the so-called Sword Intent was never some profound, mysterious thing.
It was simply a person completely integrating their deepest emotions and most obsessive beliefs into the sword in their hand.
Jiang Chen extended his fingers, pointing them like a sword, and slowly traced through the air.
He did not mobilize any power.
But as his fingertips moved, the surrounding air seemed to grow heavy and sad.
At the top of the sewer, a condensed drop of water should have fallen vertically.
But when Jiang Chen's fingertip passed below it, this drop of water, as if drawn by an invisible force, subtly deviated from its trajectory.
Jiang Chen's movements stopped.
He quietly looked at his fingers, lost in thought.
He began to understand why he could sever Zhao Wuliang's "Heavenly Thread."
Zhao Wuliang's manipulation of fate was to "follow the trend," to find a tributary of the river of destiny and then gently push it in the direction he desired.
Whereas the core of his "Rain of Sorrow Sword Intent" was "defiance."
It was that obsession and despair of the whole world abandoning him, so he would stand against the whole world.
It itself was a power completely contrary to "trend."
Coupled with the domineering attribute of Formless Life Essence, which could assimilate everything and disregard rules, as its carrier.
The combination of the two created those four stunning sword strikes that could "sever heavenly secrets."
"Just one 'incomplete' character, and it's already so powerful. If the talent were complete..."
Jiang Chen's heart burned with excitement.
He began to anticipate what kind of surprise the next Child of Destiny would bring him.
But soon, he forcibly suppressed this fervor.
He knew very well that he was still very weak.
Zhao Wuliang was just a "corrector." Who knew how many similar, or even more powerful, existences there were in the Qingyun Sect, or even in this world?
Moreover, Zhao Wuliang's final mournful scream clearly heralded an even greater storm about to arrive.
He had probably upgraded from a BUG that needed "correction" to a virus that needed "eradication."
He could no longer passively wait for danger to descend and then hastily search for prey, as he had before.
"I need to... take the initiative."
Jiang Chen leaned against the wall, calmly analyzing his strengths and weaknesses.
Strengths:
First, the Eye of Insight, which allowed him to distinguish between a Child of Destiny and an ordinary person; this was his core hunting ability.
Second, the Formless Life Essence, which was extremely stealthy; as long as he did not actively expose himself, no one could discern his true depth, making it his best shield for disguise.
Third, Sword Dao Enlightenment, which gave him the capital to challenge opponents beyond his level, providing him with the confidence for direct combat.
Weaknesses:
First, he had no Foundation. He had no Sect, no Family, no background, and was all alone, like a rootless duckweed.
Second, information was scarce. He didn't know how big this world was, where the next "plot node" would occur, or from which direction enemies would come.
Third, his strength was still weak. Against a Cultivator of Zhao Wuliang's caliber, he could only barely escape by surprise. Once the opponent was prepared, he had almost no chance of winning.
"So, the most urgent task is to find a place where I can obtain a lot of information and also hide my identity."
Faces of various shady characters in Black Stone City appeared in Jiang Chen's mind.
Caravans, mercenaries, assassins, intelligence dealers... these people operating in the gray areas often had much better information than those high-and-mighty orthodox Sects.
He needed to integrate into them, become one of them.
Just like a chameleon blending into the dark jungle.
He lowered his head, looking once again at the broken sword in his hand.
The sword belonged to Ye Liuyun.
But from now on, it would become his first identity in this world.
A nameless person... who wielded a sword, with no past and no future.
He carefully re-wrapped the broken sword in rags, slung it over his back, then identified a direction and strode towards the other end of the sewer.
Footsteps echoed in the empty pipe, sounding exceptionally clear.
One step, then another.
Like a condemned prisoner walking to the execution ground.
Or like a newborn stepping into his own world, full of blood and slaughter.