Word spread fast.
As expected, no one could hide an explosion like that—not when it lit up half the Bai Clan estate like a miniature sun.
Not when so many eyes had been watching the Bai Clan more than ever since Bai Xinyue obtained the Inheritance.
Sect spies, rival clan agents, hidden pawns planted long ago—all of them had reported back before the night was over.
Within hours, the assassination attempt had become public knowledge.
From the remote village to the bustling capital, the Bai Clan Estate became the eye of a brewing storm.
By morning, one thing was certain:
Someone had tried to kill Bai Zihan and Bai Xinyue.
And they had failed—miserably!
The news of assassination, along with the news about the Ancient Ruins, had also reached a small town called Cloudbreak Town.
The main street bustled with travelers, hawkers, and mercenaries loudly bragging about their recent “near-death” encounters with powerful monsters.
The scent of roasted meat and cheap liquor filled the air.
At a tavern nearby, a young man was ordering a simple meal.
His body—lean and scarred—was covered in charred sigils that pulsed with faint crimson light.
His name was Nie Fengzhuo.
And once upon a time… he had been engaged to Bai Xueqing.
But that was a very long time ago.
Back then, he was a so-called genius of the Nie Clan. Talented. Proud. Destined for greatness.
Until it all vanished.
His cultivation stalled. His reputation fell harder than anyone thought possible.
Labeled trash. Mocked by the same people who once praised him.
His then fiance, Bai Xueqing came along with other Sect Member to break off the engagement.
When the engagement was broken off, no one was surprised. He was no longer useful—just a burden.
But fate hadn’t abandoned him.
Somewhere in the depths of a ruined volcanic temple, amidst crumbling lava halls and bone-cracked silence, Nie Fengzhuo found something else.
What he found… flames.
Pure, unfiltered agony—soul-burning flames that tried to erase him from existence.
And instead of dying, he endured.
He clawed his way out alone.
The fire didn’t consume him. It reforged him.
His bones were reborn in flame. His body was rebuilt from ash. His crippled meridians melted and tempered into a new—unstable, volatile, and powerful.
That man from before, the discarded fiancé, the laughingstock of the younger generation… had died in those flames.
What emerged from the fire wasn’t a failure.
It was a blade.
Sharpened by hate.
Fueled by vengeance.
Nie Fengzhuo had shed his skin as trash—and now walked the path of a monster in human form.
He kept cultivating using those flames, despite the pain that he needs to endure.
Wrapped in an ordinary black cloak, Nie Fengzhuo sat alone at a corner table of the crowded tavern.
His face was half-covered by a hood, a faint glow from a fire-forged talisman peeking from beneath his robes.
A steaming bowl of wild boar stew sat untouched before him.
Instead, his focus was fixed on the loud table behind him.
“Did you hear? The Bai Clan actually f*cking did it! They beat back the Demonic Sect!”
“Of course I heard, you idiot. Everyone’s heard by now. It’s all over the province!”
“No one expected Bai Zihan to pull that off though. Didn’t he used to be trash?”
“Well, guess what? That ’trash’ crushed Mo Tianji like a dog. Right in front of everyone!”
“Mo Tianji? The strongest of the younger generation in the Demonic Sect?”
…
The chatter caused Nie Fengzhou’s attention to be shifted to the group.
He lifted his drink slowly, taking a small sip, listening carefully.
Another man slammed his mug down.
“But forget Bai Zihan—didn’t they say Bai Xinyue is the one who got the Immortal Emperor’s Inheritance?”
A loud gasp followed.
“Wasn’t she exiled from the Bai Clan years ago?”
“Yep. But now she’s back. Stronger than ever. They say she’s already in the Spirit Severing Realm!”
“F*ck! Spirit Severing Realm?!”
That was a stage most could only dream of reaching. Not something a sixteen-year-old should already touch.
But alas, life was unfair. What some could only dream of, others achieved with ease.
(Bai Clan?)
Nie Fengzhuo’s fingers tightened around his cup.
(It seems a lot has changed while I was in seclusion.)
He stood slowly, walked over, and without a word, tossed a gold coin onto their table.
The conversation halted. One of the mercenaries blinked, confused.
“You trying to buy something, brother?”
Nie Fengzhuo pulled his hood back just enough to reveal a sharp, confident smile.
His voice was calm, but with an edge—like a blade just before it’s drawn.
“No. I just want to know everything you were talking about. From the beginning.”
The mercenaries exchanged glances. But hey—gold was gold.
And this was information everyone already knew.
One of them leaned forward.
“You’ve been in seclusion or something?”
“Something like that.”
“Heh, sit down! I’ll tell you everything you missed.”
They began talking, telling stories as if they had been there themselves.
Nie Fengzhuo absorbed every word like it was being carved into his bones.
While they praised the Bai Clan, Nie Fengzhuo could only grow angrier.
It would’ve been worse if they kept mentioning Bai Xueqing, but to his surprise, her name barely came up.
The story of the Ancient Ruins? Mostly centered around Bai Zihan and Bai Xinyue.
(Well, if her little brother is that terrifying now, she probably isn’t far behind.)
Although he didn’t get much information on the one he wanted revenge against, he learned plenty about others—especially Bai Zihan, Bai Xueqing’s brother.
And that was enough.
If Bai Zihan was her brother, then to Nie Fengzhuo, he was also an enemy.
One he might have to face.
The mercenaries continued, moving on to how the other factions were responding to the Bai Clan—including the assassination attempt.
Most of that bored him.
He decided that was enough.
With a slight nod, Nie Fengzhuo turned away, leaving the gold coin where it lay.
As he stepped out into the fading sunlight, the townsfolk continued gossiping, oblivious to the man who had once held the title “Fiancé of Bai Xueqing.”
He walked slowly toward the outskirts of town, his fingers flexing, heat rippling across his skin.
Bai Xueqing…
She had mocked him.
Dismissed him.
Treated him like garbage.
But now?
He wasn’t the same man anymore.
No longer the ’trash’ who wasn’t her match.
He had devoured fire, walked through pain, and rebuilt himself from ashes.
Could he defeat her now?
No… not yet.
But in the coming days?
He was certain.
Not only would he surpass her—
He’d take back everything she stole from him:
His pride.
His status.
His place in the world.
And if Bai Zihan got in the way?
Then he’d burn too.
“I just hope you don’t get destroyed before I get to you!”