I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

Qin Yuan returned to his residence, sat cross-legged, and began refining the Ancestral Core. The Ancestral Core floated in his palm, golden light intertwined with crimson patterns. He channeled his Origin Power, enveloping the Ancestral Core and extracting it strand by strand. The power of the Ancestral Core surged into his meridians, like molten iron, scorching them. He bit down on a wooden stick, which broke in two; he replaced it with an iron one. Even the iron one bore teeth marks. After three days and three nights, the Ancestral Core completely melted, transforming into a golden liquid that flowed into his dantian. His cultivation level broke through from the second to the third level of the Chaos Origin Ancestor realm. A third golden pattern appeared on the bone blade of his right palm; the three patterns coiled around the bone blade like three swimming dragons.

Qin Yuan emerged from seclusion to test his bone blade. Outside Chaos City stood a trial pillar, forged from Chaos Refined Iron, ten feet high and one foot thick, indestructible. The cultivators of Chaos City used it to test the sharpness of their magical artifacts; for thousands of years, no one had been able to leave a mark on it. Qin Yuan walked to the pillar and swung his bone blade. The pillar silently snapped in two, the upper half sliding down and crashing to the ground, causing a tremor. The cut was as smooth as a mirror. The onlookers gasped in astonishment.

The Lord of Chaos City hosted a banquet for Qin Yuan. The feast was held in the main hall of the City Lord's mansion, laden with spiritual fruits, demon beast meat, and fine wine. Generals from Chaos City were present, including powerful figures at the third and fourth levels of the Origin Ancestor realm. After several rounds of drinks, an envoy from the Heavenly Fiend Palace suddenly arrived. The envoy was a gaunt old man, at the fourth level of the Origin Ancestor realm, dressed in a black Daoist robe, and arrogant in demeanor. He stood in the center of the hall, neither kneeling nor bowing. "The Lord of the Heavenly Fiend Palace orders that Chaos City must submit within three days, or else be razed to the ground."

Qin Yuan didn't wait for the Chaos City Lord to speak. With a flick of his bone blade, the envoy's head flew off, blood splattering onto the banquet table. Spiritual fruits were stained crimson with blood, and droplets of blood clung to the demon beast meat. The envoy's corpse lay on the ground, his fingers still twitching. The Chaos City Lord's expression changed. "You killed him, and the Heavenly Fiend Palace will immediately send troops." Qin Yuan picked up his wine cup and took a sip. "Let them come."

The Heavenly Fiend Palace army pressed in. Thirty thousand cultivators, including over a hundred Origin Ancestor Realm experts, were present. The Palace Master personally led ten Origin Ancestor Level 5 elders, who were stationed at the center of the army. The army's banners were black, embroidered with skulls. The column stretched from the horizon to the sky, the sound of their footsteps shaking the ground. The gates of Chaos City were tightly shut, the city's protective array activated, and a golden light shield enveloped the entire city.

Qin Yuan stood on the city wall, looking at the massive, dark army. The Lord of the Heavenly Fiend Palace, riding a fifth-level Origin Ancestor beast and wielding a black spear, shouted at the front of the formation, "Hand over the murderer, and Chaos City will not perish!" Qin Yuan jumped off the city wall and faced the army alone. His figure appeared very small on the vast wasteland.

The Heavenly Fiend Palace Master sneered, "One man against thirty thousand? You're courting death." Three golden lines lit up Qin Yuan's bone blade. He charged into the army, his blade sweeping across, heads flying everywhere. The first wave of a hundred men was wiped out in ten breaths. Corpses piled up, blood seeping into the earth. The Heavenly Fiend Palace Master's face was ashen; he ordered the entire army to press forward.

Qin Yuan charged through the army, his bone blade unstoppable. He neither defended nor dodged, only killing. One strike, one head. Another strike, another head. His clothes were soaked in blood, his own mixed with the blood of others, indistinguishable. Three elders of the Heavenly Fiend Hall, all at the fourth level of the Origin Ancestor realm, surrounded Qin Yuan. The first elder thrust his sword at Qin Yuan's back, but Qin Yuan did not dodge; the sword pierced the elder's left rib, and he used his bone blade to pierce the first elder's heart. The second elder lunged from the side, but Qin Yuan used his severed arm to clamp his neck, twisting it forcefully until the neck bones snapped with a crack. The third elder struck Qin Yuan's crown with a palm strike, but Qin Yuan smashed his nose with his head, and his bone blade pierced his throat.

The Lord of the Heavenly Fiend Palace personally intervened. His palm strike, delivered by a sixth-level Origin Ancestor, was as powerful as a mountain. Qin Yuan was sent flying, spitting blood, cracks appearing on his bone blade. He scrambled to his feet, wiped the blood from his mouth, and continued charging. The Lord of Chaos City led his army out of the city to meet him, and the two armies clashed. The sounds of clashing swords, screams, and shouts of battle mingled together. Taking advantage of the chaos, Qin Yuan charged towards the Lord of the Heavenly Fiend Palace, his bone blade aimed at his throat. The Lord of the Heavenly Fiend Palace dodged to the side, striking Qin Yuan in the chest with a palm strike. Ribs broke, Qin Yuan coughed up blood, but his bone blade pierced the Lord of the Heavenly Fiend Palace's left shoulder. Wounded, the Lord of the Heavenly Fiend Palace led his army in retreat. Qin Yuan pursued him for a hundred miles, killing another thousand.

The Heavenly Fiend Palace army was defeated, and the Chaos City Lord suggested pursuing them. Qin Yuan said, "No need. I'll go alone." He went to the Heavenly Fiend Palace alone. The Heavenly Fiend Palace was built on a black mountain peak, the terrain treacherous, and its protective array was stronger than that of Chaos City. The array's light barrier was black, with blood-red runes flowing on it. Qin Yuan didn't break the array; instead, he found its weak point—the foot of the mountain on the east side, where the light barrier was thinnest. He used his bone blade to strike continuously, one strike, two strikes, ten strikes, a hundred strikes. On the hundredth strike, a crack appeared in the array. He crawled through the crack, and the Heavenly Fiend Palace disciples swarmed him.

Qin Yuan fought his way through the enemy ranks, charging straight for the main hall. He fought his way from the foot of the mountain to the mountainside, and from the mountainside to the summit. The steps were littered with corpses, and blood flowed down them. The Heavenly Fiend Hall Master was healing his wounds, sitting on a futon in the main hall, his left shoulder wrapped in bandages. When he saw Qin Yuan burst in, his expression changed drastically. "You dare to storm my Heavenly Fiend Hall alone?" Qin Yuan pointed his bone blade at the Heavenly Fiend Hall Master. "One person is enough to take your life."

The Heavenly Fiend Palace Master's injuries hadn't healed, but his cultivation at the sixth level of the Origin Ancestor realm remained. He wielded his sword and engaged Qin Yuan in fierce combat. Blade and bone blade clashed, sparks flying. Qin Yuan didn't fight him head-on, instead using his speed to maneuver. He continued to inflict wounds: his left shoulder was pierced, his right leg was slashed, and his back was struck by a sword. But each time he was injured, he left a wound on the Heavenly Fiend Palace Master. The Heavenly Fiend Palace Master's left shoulder wound reopened, blood gushing out. His right leg was pierced by a bone blade, causing him to limp. A gash was cut open on his face by a bone blade, exposing the bone beneath.

The Lord of the Heavenly Fiend Palace unleashed a secret technique, burning ten thousand years of his lifespan to heal his injuries. His aura surged, almost reaching the seventh level of the Origin Ancestor realm. He pierced Qin Yuan's left chest with his sword, the blade entering through his chest and exiting through his back. Qin Yuan grabbed the blade, preventing it from being pulled out, and plunged a bone blade into the Lord of the Heavenly Fiend Palace's brow with his right palm. The bone blade pierced through his skull, exiting from the back of his head. The Lord of the Heavenly Fiend Palace's eyes widened, blood gushing from his mouth. Qin Yuan pulled out the bone blade, and the Lord of the Heavenly Fiend Palace collapsed to the ground, his Origin Core surfacing. Qin Yuan swallowed it in one gulp, his cultivation breaking through to the fourth level of the Chaos Origin Ancestor realm. A fourth golden pattern appeared on the bone blade.

Qin Yuan stood beside the corpse of the Heavenly Fiend Hall Master, covered in blood. The remaining disciples of the Heavenly Fiend Hall knelt on the ground, their heads kowtowed. He hadn't slaughtered them, but instead incorporated them into his own ranks. He ordered the Heavenly Fiend Hall's Grand Elder to take command and report directly to him. The Grand Elder knelt on the ground, not daring to raise his head. Qin Yuan said, "Those who are dissatisfied, step forward now." No one stepped forward.

He ransacked the Heavenly Fiend Palace's treasury. The treasury was located inside the mountain, its stone gate even thicker than that of Chaos City. He cleaved it open with his bone blade, revealing tens of thousands of Chaos Origin Crystals piled high. There were also hundreds of bottles of pills, including a "Breakthrough Pill," capable of helping an Origin Ancestor break through to the next level. Qin Yuan swallowed the Breakthrough Pill; its medicinal power dissolved within his body, causing excruciating pain in his meridians, which he endured with gritted teeth. His cultivation broke through to the fifth level of the Chaos Origin Ancestor realm. A fifth golden pattern appeared on his right bone blade, all five patterns glowing simultaneously, the bone blade humming.