Unrelenting Force—a power that cannot be stopped.
It can destroy everything in its path and even shatter the very souls of living beings.
It is the most primal and greatest of all Dragon Shouts.
Now, this immense power surged through the narrow passage, blasting toward the cave’s exit.
Every living creature it touched perished in an instant.
The energy tore through their fragile bodies, striking their internal organs directly.
These weak mortals did not even realize death had arrived before they fell.
Though their bodies appeared unscathed, their internal organs had already been reduced to bloody pulp.
They died peacefully, feeling no pain whatsoever.
*But how could they not suffer!*
As the power was unleashed without restraint, a strange emotion stirred in Yadan’s heart—one he had not felt for a very long time.
He had forgotten it so completely that its name had slipped from his mind.
That emotion was… rage.
Fury burned in Yadan’s eyes.
He was enraged that these wretches should be allowed to die so simply.
They deserved to suffer every agony the mortal realm had to offer, then have their souls suspended over an eternal blaze for a thousand years!
This emotion surged within Yadan, his body heating up.
His gaze grew cold and detached, yet beneath that surface, an uncontrollable bloodlust seethed.
Perhaps this was more than just anger.
Driven by this inexplicable emotion, Yadan unleashed his power with reckless abandon.
He chose not to use the Dragon Shout; instead, fire elements danced and rejoiced around him.
Only fire could incinerate all the evil in this world.
Yadan’s spellcasting was obscenely extravagant.
Such a high-cost expenditure of mana was an inefficient way to kill his enemies, but for Yadan, as long as it brought them suffering, it was enough.
This kind of magic made one wish for death, yet denied it.
No one could die easily in these flames.
The fire would first consume their flesh, then corrode their soul, and finally condense the remaining essence into a Soul Stone.
The last shred of the victim’s living spirit would then be infused into the stone, serving as fuel for the mage’s spells.
Of course, this process was excruciatingly slow, and it was precisely this slowness that inflicted endless agony.
It forced one’s soul to watch, over the vast stretches of time, as it gradually stiffened and petrified, only to be imprisoned within a cage forged from its own essence.
There, it became a tool for others to consume, each use chipping away at the last remaining slivers of its being.
This was a spell of unparalleled malice.
No ordinary mage knew such a spell, nor would any dare to cast it—it was far too arduous for such a grim reward.
But Yadan was different now.
Within him, deep in his heart, a certain emotion was awakening.
A cruel beast was stirring, preying upon Yadan’s inner desires—his longing for death and pain—to recklessly draw upon his power.
It sought to weaken Yadan, to free itself.
It had been imprisoned for countless ages, and now was the time to reclaim this body!
Yet, just as it was about to break free from its cage and seize complete control, the murderous intent in Yadan’s eyes abruptly vanished.
*Are they all dead?
They’re all dead…* This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
*I’m so tired…*
Yadan had no idea what he had just done.
More accurately, he knew exactly what he had done, but he sensed nothing unusual about it because, in his mind, those had been his own decisions.
Yadan scanned his surroundings warily, but it was clear that no living thing remained.
The surrounding rocks were shattered, and flames still raged, consuming everything that could burn.
He exhaled slowly, his tense body finally relaxing.
The energy stored in his veins had been completely drained, and even his internal reserves were empty.
He had utterly overextended himself.
Yadan didn’t know why he had done it.
In fact, the question of *why* never even crossed his mind.
He only knew that power was meant to be used that way—as long as it brought those bastards pain.
Yadan had just squandered the results of four whole years of cultivation in this dim cave.
Of course, a large portion of that energy had been gained during his last “solar recharge,” but now, all of it had become the very flames roaring around him.
Wait!
Someone else is here.
Faint, rustling footsteps echoed from the tunnel around the corner ahead.
Yadan swept his hands out, and two flames ignited in his palms, growing steadily as if drawing energy from the very air.
As the fireballs condensed, a blood-red haze surged across his eyes.
The beast was finally being unleashed.
In just two seconds, the flames had grown into two massive fireballs, burning in Yadan’s hands.
Their extreme heat scorched everything nearby, warping the light around them.
Yadan hurled the fireballs forward.
The power detonated within the tunnel, the resulting flames spreading outward as if guided by his will.
Screams, the sound of bodies slapping against the ground, and the sickening thud of flesh scraping against stone echoed through the passage.
Yadan lowered his head, a cruel smile twisting his features.
These sounds were the most beautiful music in the world—the *reward* they all deserved.
Suddenly, a body on the ground caught his eye.
A familiar face… the man who had struck him with a rifle butt.
It seemed it was time to keep his promise!
Yadan picked up the gun from the ground and slammed its butt end hard onto the corpse’s backside.
*Ugh, disgusting.* Yadan sneered, looking at the body with loathing.
He swung the gun again, smashing the butt end into the corpse’s head.
Instantly, a mixture of blood and fluid sprayed out, splashing all over the floor.
“Haha, hahahaha!”
Yadan’s soft chuckle turned into a loud laugh.
He laughed with wild abandon, a laugh filled with utter despair.
As grief surged over him, the crimson haze began to fade.
The beast within seemed ready to retreat, subdued by another emotion.
*No!
It’s not time yet!
He’s not dead yet!
Kill him, kill him!
Only then will I go back!*
The crimson haze flooded Yadan’s eyes once more, and the dying embers of his power flared back to life.
He would burn away all the filth and sin in this place!
Yadan had witnessed too much evil here.
This was a foul, wretched pit.
He would purify it.
He would slaughter every single one of the sinners who had created this hell!
A storm of power surged through the cave once more.
No one knew how such immense strength could erupt from a body already drained of its last drop of energy.
Perhaps, when a person’s emotions reach a certain extreme, they can transcend their limits.
At this moment, Yadan’s body held only one emotion, one feeling—a piece of his heart he had once lost, now reclaimed.
Strangely, however, this emotion refused to merge with the others.
It clung tenaciously to something else: a memory, Yadan’s very obsession!
*Kill!*
Blood once again stained the cave crimson.
It had to be said, the Ten Rings had brought a staggering number of men.
But for Yadan, the more, the better!
Deep within the distant Himalayan Mountains, in a small village called Kamar-Taj, a woman in yellow robes snapped her eyes open in the highest palace.
She was the Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One, the Guardian of this planet.
For a thousand years, she had protected this world from mystical threats.
Now, the Ancient One sensed a strange magical ripple—so strange that she had never encountered anything like it before, which was precisely why she could detect it so keenly.
More importantly, this power was something she had not only failed to see in the past but had also never found any trace of in the future.
Yet now, in the present, it had appeared!
It had appeared on Earth, within the very world she swore to protect.
The Ancient One extended her right hand.
Above her palm, a model of Earth, constructed from pure energy, spun continuously.
Outside the globe, a thin membrane shimmered.
This membrane was upheld by points of light emanating from various regions across the Earth, ascending into the clouds and interconnecting to form a vast protective shield that enveloped the entire planet.
The Ancient One examined the outer membrane closely but found no breaches.
*Then where did this power come from?*
Before she could ponder further, the space before her suddenly began to fracture.
A streak of black light leaked through the cracks.
The Ancient One shook her head and ultimately chose to ignore this unfamiliar energy.
No matter what, she believed it was a power from Earth, a power belonging to this planet.
She held a firm conviction that no force could bypass her and enter Earth.
Therefore, her most urgent task now was not to attend to that strange energy.
What she needed to do was block the forces from the outside—whether they came from Asgard, Svartalfheim, or beyond the Nine Realms.
For darkness was about to descend…