C1 The First Chapter of the Story Was a Calamity.(1)

The Broken Soul Cliff lived up to its ominous name; a leap from its edge promised to shatter the soul.

At this moment, the darkness that precedes dawn enveloped the Broken Soul Cliff, giving it an ethereal quality.

Fearlessly, the Black Water River plunged off the cliff, its roar so loud it felt like it could rip through one's very being. Perhaps we all need an intense sound to drive away our inner cowardice and dissatisfaction—a thunderous farewell to our more heroic days.

A massive boulder stood atop the cliff, its ageless form having witnessed the ebbs and flows of time for millennia. The eerie humidity in the air emanated a bone-chilling cold that made anyone who came near shiver involuntarily.

A man stood on the boulder, his clothes reduced to blood-stained rags. His aloof demeanor struck fear into anyone who dared to look his way. His gaze was fixed on the cliff before him, his very presence silencing even the nearby insects.

"Feng Yan, you're cornered. Give it up. Hand over what you have, and your family will be spared," a voice called out, trembling slightly, betraying a lack of confidence.

Silence met the man's plea. Gathering his courage, he took a small step forward and called again, "Feng Yan, if not for yourself, think of your unborn child and wife. Do you not feel shame as a father, as a man?"

Feng Yan sighed softly on the boulder. The sound reverberated like thunder in the ears of the pleading man, making him retreat involuntarily.

It wasn't cowardice that made the man back away; the pursuit of Feng Yan had been nothing short of a bloodbath. Feng Yan was a killer of extraordinary skill, reducing a group of over two thousand pursuers to fewer than forty within just a month. To call him a 'god of death' would almost be an understatement.

Feng Yan was far from pleased himself. Just days before, he and his wife had been blissfully talking in their courtyard, contemplating their future. Their moment was rudely interrupted by intruders who bypassed his protective magical barriers as if they were mere illusions. They tossed a wooden box at his feet and tried to escape.

When Feng Yan instinctively took the empty wooden box, he couldn't help but ponder its value. A rare and exquisite box could only mean that its contents must have been extraordinarily precious.

Upon moving here, Feng Yan frequently dealt with petty thieves. He had set up a series of magical traps as a deterrent, delivering minor punishments that signaled he couldn't be bothered to deal seriously with such small-time crooks.

His annoyance peaked when unexpected intruders barged in. Using his Shadow Hand technique, Feng Yan snatched a small, animal-hide bag from the leader, revealing an odd object.

Instead of examining it immediately, Feng Yan placed the bag into his wife's arms. "Treasures belong with treasures," he quipped.

The intruders weren't so lucky this time. They triggered one of Feng Yan's magical traps on the backyard wall, and they looked as if they'd been hit by lightning, charred and roasted. While not seriously injured, they were in a dreadful state.

Casting a resentful glare at Feng Yan, they clenched their teeth and forced their way through the magical barrier, leaving behind pools of blood, scorched clothes, and burnt skin.

Before Feng Yan could even wave them goodbye, a loud clap of thunder echoed from the front door, followed by a series of anguished cries.

"Ah! The pain is unbearable!"

"What on earth is this? I can't take the itching anymore!"

"Ah, this is downright shameless! There's even a trap targeting our second-in-command!"

"Damn, why the need for so many magic arrays in this rundown yard?"

Feng Yan had installed magic arrays that couldn't kill, but they could undoubtedly make you want to.

"Look, the arrays might not be top-notch, but the person who owns this yard must be someone special."

"Special or not, is it as important as that treasure? And did you notice those guys who walked in earlier? They didn't trigger a single array."

In a split second, a cacophony of sounds erupted. Spirit artifacts and debris from shattered walls filled the air. In the blink of an eye, the outer courtyard and the house were turned into rubble.

The crowd swarmed in, encircling the yard completely. Even those who had managed to escape earlier were herded back. Feng Yan couldn't help but almost laugh at their pathetic state.

The cornered thieves were convinced that Feng Yan had made off with the box.

Too indifferent to set the record straight, Feng Yan let them search among themselves. They eventually found an empty box.

Feng Yan knew these people couldn't be trusted, so he didn't mention the animal skin bag he had.

The pursuers, relentless in their quest, tortured them mercilessly. It didn't take long before a few met their untimely ends. Finally, one of the underlings broke down and spilled the beans. He said the item was kept in a small bag made from the skin of a Demonic Spirit Blood Deer. The bag might have turned to ashes when one of the magic arrays was triggered earlier.

A middle-aged man slammed his fist into the man and roared, "Quit talking about that thing! The skin of a Demonic Spirit Blood Deer could withstand a century of elemental fire without a scratch. Now, where is it?"

Unable to endure the attack that set his spiritual energy ablaze, a small thug fell to his knees. "Big brother, you've engraved a magic array in the animal-skin bag. Summon it! If we lose the item, we can always steal retrieve it later, but we've only got one life!"

A middle-aged woman slapped the kneeling thug, sending him flying out of the circle formed by thousands of people. "You're ambitious, planning to steal it again?" she chuckled.

She then turned to the other men and pointed at their leader. "After getting burned like that, you're hardly recognizable. Ah, so you're the infamous 'Unaffiliated.' If you'd ever been brave enough to reveal your true identity, you'd probably be long dead. Are you their boss? Hand it over if you want to live."

The boss hesitated for a long moment. The weight of the crowd's stares bore down on him, and he finally cracked. He tried to summon the object multiple times but failed, his forehead dripping with sweat.

Suddenly, he pointed at Feng Yan. "Big Brother, just give them what they want, or we're all dead."

Feng Yan erupted in anger. "Dare to slander me?" With one punch, he turned the man into a pulp.

One last thief was unshaken by his boss's death. "The object is inside that woman's stomach," he boldly declared, pointing at Wu Yun.

Fury flaring, Feng Yan kicked the audacious thief in the face, smashing his skull. "You dare speak of my woman like that? You're asking for death!"

The middle-aged woman flashed a captivating smile. "Well, the thieves are dead, and the item is still missing. I guess I'll have to search. Hope you won't hold it against me."

"Get lost!" Feng Yan growled as the woman moved to attack. His formidable aura sent the minor thugs scrambling back, leaving only a few high-level leaders in the courtyard.