No need to say more—the iron chain is the true culprit behind my parents' suffering. They're the ones who murdered my parents and tormented them for all these years, and even now, they still refuse to let go.
Right now, Ryan Ling's fury is off the charts—there's no way he can hold back. All he can think about is going all out against them!
A son's hatred for his parents' killers is irreconcilable. If I don't avenge them, what right do I have to live as their son?
Vengeance!
Without a moment's hesitation, Ryan let out a wild roar and tried to tear the chain apart. But to his shock, the iron chain was insanely tough and scorching hot. Even with his current strength, he couldn't break it—in fact, it hurt like hell, like his hands were being dunked in boiling oil.
"Ryan, get back! This iron chain is no ordinary thing—you're nowhere near strong enough to break it yet!" Seeing this, even the Ghost Elder was startled, realizing how serious things were. He didn't hesitate for a second and yanked Ryan back.
"Go! If you don't leave now, you'll be in real danger. Forget about me and your mom—you can't possibly fight them alone. Take care of yourself, son!" As his father spoke, the chains wrapped around his whole body, and his agonized screams echoed to the sky.
Ryan crashed back to the ground, his palms torn open and his heart shredded even worse.
"Ryan, things are even worse than we thought. Their strength is way scarier than anything we imagined..." The Ghost Elder hadn't even finished before Ryan cut him off, voice eerily calm.
"Did you hear what my dad said just now? The very first thing he told me was to leave Jinling. What does that mean? It means he and my mom must be here in Jinling, right nearby. Tell me, as a son, do I save them or not?"
When Ryan finished speaking, Ghost Elder froze for a second, swallowed hard, and said, "Your judgment is probably right. Using the Soul-Tracing Compass to track your father's soul and getting a reaction like this proves they're both in Jinling. But Jinling is huge—even the compass can't pinpoint their exact location. How can you know for sure? Plus, their strength is far beyond anything we can imagine..."
"Just answer me—should I save them or not?" Ryan was still perfectly calm, a kind of calm he'd never shown before.
"Y-yeah, of course you should, but..." Ghost Elder stammered, hesitating.
"No 'but'! My parents have been imprisoned and suffering for ten years, and now I know where they are. If I don't save them, I'm not worthy of living. If the earth holds them, I'll destroy the earth; if heaven holds them, I'll defy heaven. Even if it means dying, I won't back down for a second. Hell, even my old man Yama would back me up—am I right?" Ryan turned and stared straight at Ghost Elder.
"You're right, absolutely right. So, what's your next move?" Ghost Elder was fully convinced—Ryan had made up his mind, and nothing could change it now. All he could do was support him with everything he had.
"Get stronger!" Ryan clenched his jaw, then said, "And I need to build up my own power and influence. I've only been in Jinling a few days, but I've already made some moves—I've established myself as the Ling Family heir, earned a major general’s rank, wiped out the Shadow-Soul Cult, recruited Serena Yan, and basically taken over the Yan Family. But that's not enough. Right now, I'm just mid-tier in Jinling, nowhere near the real top. Jinling is the heart of Jiangnan, packed with restrictions. Without true elite status, you can't even get into certain places. So I have to go all out and build my own empire!"
"I get it—you want to use this to find your parents, right?" Ghost Elder asked quickly.
"Exactly. Jinling has four major families, but behind them are even more hidden powers. You only learn the real secrets when you reach a certain level! And there's another key point—the enemy is in the shadows, I'm out in the open. That chain attack probably exposed me already. My dad told me to run, but where could I go? If they're that strong, even running to the ends of the earth would be pointless—they'd still get me. So my only option is to ramp up my influence until they have to think twice before making a move. Growing the Ling Family is what my parents wanted anyway. Bottom line: only by becoming truly powerful can I be safe!
"Ryan, you’re absolutely right. Facing danger head-on—that’s the real path of Immortal Cultivation. You see things so clearly, I’m honestly impressed!" Ghost Elder looked at Ryan with newfound respect.
"First step: enter the Jiangnan Martial Arts Tournament and win it. I want to be the undisputed number-one martial hero in Jiangnan!" Ryan knew exactly what path lay ahead.
"Good, I’m with you. If you become Jiangnan’s number-one martial hero, even the strongest powers will have to think twice. At that level, no matter where your parents are hidden, the truth will come out!" Ghost Elder nodded, backing Ryan’s plan.
...
Meanwhile, in a shadowy corner far away...
"This kid is nothing but trouble. Who’d have thought he’d go from clueless loser to this monster, and his cultivation method is freaky as hell! I say we finish him off before it’s too late!"
"Orders from up top are clear—we keep the Ling bloodline alive unless it’s absolutely necessary. Don’t go killing him unless we have no choice!"
"But if he keeps digging, we’ll be exposed sooner or later. You heard him—he’s entering the martial arts tournament. If he wins, where in Jinling could we hide?"
"Enough talk—let’s go find Boss Qin. We can’t let his plan succeed!"
As the two spoke, their figures vanished into thin air. What’s shocking is, both are peak Earth-Tier Void Realm cultivators, almost at Heaven-Tier—the absolute top dogs in Jinling!
...
This chapter isn’t over yet~.~ Click next page for more awesome content!
Ryan headed back to Jinling again—by now, the sky was bright.
As the morning light crept in, he gathered all his brothers outside the East River State Hall: Jason Lin, Warren Yuan, Harvey “Million” Jin, Frank Qin, plus Angie Chen, Sophie Su, and all the girls. Heavyweights like Jinbiao Chen, Simon Sun, Samuel Su—even Leonard Liu—rushed over too. Ever since the Ling Clan’s Ancestral Grand Ceremony, none of them had left, like they were waiting for Ryan to make some big move.
Ryan glanced around and grinned, "Looks like you guys have been waiting a long time. I can tell you’re all ready for this, haha!" The Jiangnan Martial Arts Tournament is a huge deal—held once every three years, with fighters from fifteen provinces, two municipalities, and one autonomous region, plus observers from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan. It’s China’s top martial arts event, absolutely massive.
For decades, East River State has always come in dead last. And in recent years, the Azure Dragon Society has run wild, nearly crippling martial arts here—and their collusion with Japanese enemies made us infamous nationwide.
East River State desperately needs a martial arts comeback to prove itself. As locals, everyone dreams of this day. That’s why so many came to the Ling Clan’s ceremony—some brought their whole families. The tournament is a big reason they’re here.
"Boss, just tell us what to do—we’ll follow you all the way!"
"That’s right! All thirty million folks in East River State are behind you. You’re our leader now!"
"One word from the Ling Family and all the martial clans in East River will step up—money, muscle, whatever you need. We’ll risk our lives if we have to!"
...
Seeing everyone from old masters to young guns fired up like this, Ryan felt his own blood boiling. He knew this battle wasn’t just for his parents or the Ling Family—it was for the tens of millions in East River State who were counting on him.
It’s finally time to redeem ourselves, to make the world see East River in a whole new light!
"Brother, say the word! I’ve been waiting forever. Hell, even as commander of the East River Special Warfare Unit, I’ll fight right beside you!" Gabriel Xue stepped forward, pumped up.
Ryan grinned, "Since everyone’s all in, there’s nothing more to say. Let’s go register for the martial arts tournament right now! I want the world to see how badass East River folks really are!" The crowd erupted in cheers.