CHAPTER 32: STEALING THREE SECONDS FROM EVERYONE

[Chronoblade – Active]: Freeze time for three seconds while freely attacking.

The description of his newly acquired ultimate-grade skill flashed through Wang Chen’s mind. Instead of joy, he felt irritation tug at his chest.

Not bad... but compared to Eternal Will of the Blade, this is a child’s toy.

Three seconds—a blink to mortals, an eternity to cultivators. In battle, even a single heartbeat could decide life or death.

The world around him went eerily still.

Everything—the swirling dust, the cold wind, even the screaming cultivators frozen mid‑motion—had come to a halt. It was as if someone had pressed the "pause" button on reality itself.

Looking down, Wang Chen could clearly see the razor‑sharp edge of Vice Head Zhang’s sword hovering mere centimeters from his neck. Just a grain of time more, and his head would’ve rolled.

He also noticed something else—the desperate look in his youngest disciple’s eyes.

Regressor or not, this girl truly cares about her master...

The small flicker of doubt lingering in his heart vanished when he saw that expression. His gaze then turned cold as steel when it landed upon Vice Head Zhang.

To ignore my words and deliver a killing blow... this man is insane.

Thankfully, their difference in cultivation wasn’t vast. Otherwise, if Vice Head Zhang had reached Core Formation, Wang Chen’s head would already be on the ground. There would’ve been no time to activate Chronoblade.

Even now, with time frozen, Wang Chen understood—if Zhang had been a Nascent Soul or even a genuine Golden Core cultivator, he couldn’t have done anything, afterall there were no attacks in his arsenal that could dealt damage to cultivators of such level.

Though it seemed as if he spent several minutes deciding, not even a second truly passed. The frozen world began to tremble slightly, faint ripples crawling across distant buildings as stillness weakened.

I’d better move fast.

With no hesitation, he grabbed Zhang’s sword from mid‑air and unleashed the Three‑Turn Sword Art three times in quick succession.

First strike—legs severed.

Second strike—arms torn apart.

Third strike—a wide arc that decapitated every surviving Blood Fang gang member within reach.

The feeling of cutting through Zhang’s flesh was like slicing hardened steel. As expected, a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s body was absurdly resilient. Yet Wang Chen wasn’t finished.

He pressed his hand lightly against Zhang’s head, murmuring, "Doomclock: Bind."

A crimson glyph appeared between his fingers, locking itself into Zhang’s skull. Wang Chen knew better than to underestimate Foundation cultivators. Some of them could cling to life through their sinister means even after their bodies were destroyed.

Everything happened in roughly two seconds. He still had one second to spare.

Just as he was about to wait for time to resume, something unexpected caught his attention—within the gray, motionless world, everything else was colorless... except for one thing.

The jade ring on Sui Zheng’s finger glowed bright red, pulsing as though it were alive.

That ring... there’s something wrong with it.

The thought barely formed before color returned to the world.

"Puchi! Puchi!"

In an instant, blood sprayed across the alley like crimson rain. The cold air filled with the stench of iron as the bodies of the Blood Fang gang members collapsed, lifeless. Wang Chen stood still amidst the fountain of gore, droplets sliding off his dark robes.

The onlookers—Li Mei, Sui Zheng, and a handful of rogue cultivators—were struck dumb. One moment ago, Vice Head Zhang’s sword had been an inch from Wang Chen’s throat. The next, every Blood Fang corpse lay scattered in a pool of blood, and Zhang himself was a limbless husk.

What just happened?

Inside the jade ring, an old man with a bald, shimmering head burst into hysterical laughter.

"I wasn’t mistaken! That was the aura of transcendental law! At last... there’s hope! I can finally restore my true soul!"

Wang Chen cast him a sidelong glance sensing something amiss. His voice came low and firm, yet carried by an unseen force that made it roll across the shattered courtyard like thunder.

"I don’t care who you are. But if you lay a hand on my disciples again... be prepared to face the consequences."

Even though he hadn’t raised his tone, the sheer command behind his words sent visible ripples through the surrounding qi.

This was a warning to everyone who was watching or paying attention to the matter.

The most shaken was not Sui Zheng—but the bound soul inside the ring. The ancient entity trembled. As someone from a higher realm, its perception far surpassed mortals’. Just a moment ago, it had felt the faint touch of laws it couldn’t comprehend—an intrusion that twisted reality itself.

Wang Chen turned toward Sui Zheng, expression unreadable. "You there. Clean up this mess."

Then, without waiting for a reply, he turned and walked back into the dojo.

He was exhausted. After hundreds of years inside the Tower and now this farce, his patience was fraying.

"Damn... can the world not let me rest for even a breath?" he muttered under his breath. "First curses, now constant drama. It’s as if the heavens themselves enjoy toying with me."

Li Mei, still pale and no less shocked than Sui Zheng, carried Lin Huang’s unconscious body inside the dojo as well. The streets outside were far too dangerous; no one knew what would strike next.

Meanwhile, Sui Zheng stood motionless, staring blankly at the carnage around him.

An alley brimming with corpses. The vice leader of one of the city’s strongest gangs—limbless and dead.

Then, as if waking from a nightmare, Sui Zheng shook his head violently. "No, no—I have to get out of here fast. Once Blood Fang hears of this, they’ll definitely blame me!"

He was just about to retreat when a faint movement pricked at his spiritual senses. His eyes widened.

The mutilated Vice Head Zhang was twitching—trying to move.

He’s still alive?!

The thought had barely formed when a faint ticking echoed through the air.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Then—

Boom!

Zhang’s body imploded into a bloody explosion. Sui Zheng was too slow to react; the shockwave splattered his face with gore, painting him scarlet.

He stood frozen, horrified beyond reason.

Too dangerous... this place is too damn dangerous! I have to get away from here before I die too!

His heart pounded like a war drum, cold sweat pouring down his back.

But just as he turned to flee, a chilling voice whispered in his mind.

"Don’t even think about escaping. Do as you’re told."

Sui Zheng’s body stiffened instantly.

"Shit..." he muttered weakly, face twisting in despair.