Inside the patriarch's hall of the Xiao family, bodies of the Xiao clan members and elders lay scattered across the floor. Only Xiao Fanquang and Gaia remained standing or rather, only Gaia still stood.
Xiao Fanquang was panting heavily from exhaustion and struggling to catch his breath. He stared at Gaia with a face twisted in terror, fear born from witnessing a seemingly ordinary young man bring utter ruin upon his household.
"Urgh… W-Who are you, really?" Fanquang asked, voice weak and trembling. His body could no longer support itself, and he collapsed to his knees.
"Hm… Strange question, coming from someone who's been targeting me," Gaia replied calmly.
"Targeting… you?" Fanquang paused, as if recalling something. His eyes widened. "Y-You… are you the successor of Jiang Bailou?!"
"Ping pong," Gaia replied with a faint grin.
At that exact moment, a blade of wind slashed off one of Fanquang's arms.
"ARGH!" Fanquang let out a strained scream, trying to suppress the pain.
"Honestly, I couldn't care less about your motives or the people you sent after the Jiang family. What was his name again?" Gaia paused briefly in thought. "Ah, right Jiang Qinsheng."
Fanquang's eyes went wide in horror, realization crashing down like a wave. He looked at Gaia as if staring into the abyss itself.
"Truth be told, I was disgusted by that man from the moment I laid eyes on his soul. How should I explain it? His soul reeked of hatred hatred toward someone, perhaps a member of the Jiang family, or maybe the entire clan. Hatred is natural, but tell me, why do you think I loathed him at first sight?"
"…Kgh. What do you want?" Fanquang growled.
"Sigh. Tut tut," Gaia clicked his tongue as if Fanquang had answered wrong. Another gust of wind sliced off his other arm.
Fanquang screamed again, powerless against the pressure pinning him down as if gravity itself had turned against him. His wounds were quickly sealed, most likely with healing magic but Gaia wasn't being merciful. In fact, he cast a spell that accelerated Fanquang's perception, forcing him to feel the pain far longer than normal.
Without giving Fanquang time to respond, Gaia continued his explanation, his tone cold and detached.
"That hatred within Qinsheng made him do things no one should ever do," Gaia said.
He elaborated Qinsheng was the kind of scum who killed innocent people without remorse, sometimes even with delight. A person like that carried a soul essence unlike that of a killer who kills for duty, self-defense, or war. It was something darker.
And as if answering his earlier question, Gaia declared:
"Qinsheng... you... and most of your family." Gaia's voice dropped to a cold whisper. "You all belong to the same group, the lowest of the low."
He took a step closer, his eyes like twin blades.
"Trash."
"Tell me... how many innocent lives have you destroyed, just to climb a little higher?"
With that, Gaia did the same to Fanquang's legs, severing them cleanly and rendering him limbless.
"Kgh… Just kill me!" Fanquang screamed.
"Kill you? You think I'm that kind?" Gaia replied.
"W-What? Then what are you going to do…" Fanquang's voice began to tremble. Fear crept into his mind.
"Hm?" Gaia's gaze shifted, as if sensing something. "Tch, just as I thought the military's arriving."
Fanquang perked up, hope flashing in his eyes. He began to laugh, drunk on the illusion of salvation.
"Ha… hahaha… HAHAHA! What now, huh!? Don't think General Lin Feng will let you walk away just because you're Bailou's successor after doing this to the Xiao family!"
"…Hmm." Gaia glanced at Fanquang, then shrugged as if he'd lost interest. With a smirk, he began humming and walked away.
Fanquang, confused by the sudden shift in Gaia's attitude, could only watch as he slowly exited the hall and disappeared from view.
At that moment, a massive magic circle formed beneath the Xiao estate.
A moment later, like a clogged drain finally bursting free, a torrent of deep violet-black flames erupted from the circle, forming a massive pillar of fire. Everything it touched buildings, earth, people was reduced to ash. Not just bodies, but souls were consumed and erased entirely.
Those who witnessed it were left in shock.
Spies and observers watching Gaia immediately retreated in panic, but some were too slow and were engulfed by the black fire.
Even the soldiers stationed nearby could only stare in stunned silence.
From within the inferno, a lone figure emerged Gaia, clad in his long black coat, walking calmly through the chaos.
The Yinzhou Penglai soldiers snapped into formation, ready for combat. They didn't panic, but each one understood the man before them was dangerous.
Zhuge Yanquan, Vice General under Lin Feng and leader of the unit, recognized Gaia immediately. He raised his hand, signaling the troops to stand down.
"Hello again, Mr. Gaia," Yanquan greeted.
To outsiders, or readers too immersed in generic novels, Yanquan might appear like a sly schemer. But to Gaia, who could see the essence of a soul, Yanquan was far better, perhaps even nobler than anyone in the Xiao family.
Yanquan himself bore a heavy internal struggle. He was more of a strategist than a fighter. Sure, he had once sparred to a draw with Tianluo using qi techniques but Tianluo possessed a broken ether skill and had achieved equilibrium break. Yanquan, meanwhile, couldn't use ether at all.
He knew one thing for certain: the man standing before him, the disciple of Jiang Bailou, the strongest of all generals in hes prime, was beyond him.
His only choice was to buy as much time as possible until General Lin Feng arrived.
But even master tacticians can sometimes be surprised.
"No need to stall. I'll wait for General Lin Feng over there," Gaia said, pointing to the rubble where the Xiao family's name plaque had fallen. He made his way over and sat atop it.
*
A short while later, General Lin Feng arrived, followed by Tianluo and his party, along with Lin An.
"…Wow. You really went all out," Lin Feng commented, surveying the destruction.
"You overdid it. There were probably children in this clan who were innocent," Tianluo said with a frown.
"…Not my concern. If that's true, blame their trash leader," Gaia replied.
Kagura narrowed her eyes, her voice tinged with something between awe and dread. "You really don't regret what you did, do you?"
Beside her, Yuemei crossed her arms, gaze fixed on the scorched ruins. She didn't say a word but the tightness in her jaw betrayed a storm of conflicting thoughts. Was this justice... or vengeance run wild?
"The only thing I regret is not tormenting Xiao Fanquang longer," Gaia said.
Tianluo and the others sighed. At least there were no casualties outside the Xiao family. Meanwhile, Lin An stood silently awestruck, stunned, afraid, and even moved. A storm of emotions churned within him.
Ballack, quietly observing the ruins, finally spoke.
"You're capable of this much… Just how far does your mana control go?"
"There's a chance Fanquang was merely a puppet of something deeper," Lin Feng said.
"I know."
"Huh?"
"There was a curse spell placed on Fanquang. It would've been activated if he tried to reveal certain information. That alone proves he was being controlled. Trying to interrogate him would've been pointless."
Lin Feng fell silent, clearly deep in thought.
Seeing this, Gaia added, "From the start, there was no need to bring troops or evacuate the area."
"What do you mean?" Lin Feng asked.
"I cast an illusion over the entire Xiao estate, one so complete that even the Xiao family members themselves couldn't see through it."
"Even so, if that illusion fades, people will be shocked to see this place reduced to rubble."
"You're wrong, Lin Feng," Ballack interjected.
"What?"
"The illusion he used… it's a miniature realm, a perfect replica of the original. He secretly moved those sensitive to mana into that realm without them realizing it."
"Hold on, Ballack," Tianluo cut in. "Then… the ones trapped in the illusion were…"
Tianluo paused. A moment later, realization struck him.
"Us?"