Cultivate has changed, the world was no longer how it used to be yet one thing remained, the arrogance of those who regard themselves to be strong.

Wang Ling threw the sword that broke in two and watched the disappearing ashes of the Elder.

The Elder's death led to an abrupt silence, Wang Ling looked around and saw the wiped smiles of the remaining lackeys.

All of them were petrified from fear. Before them was a bloodied young man, yet most of them soiled themselves by merely catching his glare.

"Kneel." Wang Ling commanded and when no one listened, he gathered his breath and "I said KNEELLLL!" everyone other than Leo fell to their knees — trembling.

"Good, but now none of you can ever

Wang Ling's body belonged to an injured child, his figure bloodied and looked meek, yet at this moment dozens of men knelt before him. The sword in his hand had already long crumbled from shouldering the strength of a Quintessence Swordsman, yet his aura was still as sharp — no, sharper than it had ever been.

"Tell your people what you have seen here, and tell them that I am going to look for them in a year!" he smiled, "I will kill them one by one and destroy their souls… I won't even a single one of you enter the wheel of reincarnation!"

Laughter became a trilling echo in everyone's ears, before them was the one they were trying to hunt but now, they were no more than rabbits to him. When no one moved, Wang Ling creased his brows.

He resumed his steps to pick up a sword. Playing with it, he poured the blade qi and then threw it at the one nearest to him.

The sword moved like an arrow piercing the air, it zoomed and a few seconds later it reached its destination.

STAB!

A hand was pierced as the target blocked the blade, killing intent then filled the air, "SCRAM!!!!"

A commotion rang as dozens of adults ran for their lives.

"Older Brother!" Wang Ling heard someone calling for him — it was the little brother, "Are you okay? Wha-what is happening?"

He was confused, the fact that his older brother showed such strength just now to save him made the lad with mixed emotions.

On one side he's happy that he's alive, on the other hand, why? Why did he had to wait for their home and people to die before taking action?

He was also acting out of character, is this the effect of the so-called Overhaul Phoenix Rebirth? Leo did not know.

Wang Ling could see the confusion in the boy's eyes and when he opened his mouth, he only said one thing, "I don't know how to say this softly but — your brother, Lucius… he's no longer of this world."

"What!?" his words only further confused Leo.

But Wang Ling could see his smile wavering, he was distraught, incapable of straightening his thoughts.

He wanted to say something, but he was out of time.

Wang Ling stood there in his position for a good three minutes before ascertaining that there's no longer a hostile presence.

SpshhhhH!

His body bursts into a fountain of blood, his body limped and eventually, he lost consciousness. Before he did, however, he heard someone calling for him.

Wang Ling had long reached his limits, and summoning the white flames only caused him to overextend. This body was not his original form, only his soul remained that links him to the past.

If this was his past self, he would kill everyone present but without a foundation, he wouldn't have the physicality to endure.

Time passed, Wang Ling's mind dwelled in the darkness, he had no thoughts other than his body was in pain and then — "AH!" he woke up with a scream.

Looking around he saw the number of bandages wrapped around him, the basin filled with blood-dyed water.

There was no presence of life. He was inside a rundown cabin, a place even Lucius did not seem to know. Wang Ling was left confused, but he was alive, and that's all that mattered.

Wang Ling's body was screaming, and it felt as though he was being torn to pieces.

[My qis… they are harmonized, yet, it is hurting me.]

That could only mean one thing, 'The qi is too strong for the vessel.' But not only his qi, but also the bloodlines and mutations.

[So that's why this is taking such a toll on me… the mutations have yet to also arrive. The Holy Qi doesn't necessarily need any mutation as it is connected to my soul, but the moment I let it come down on me, I will implode from too much energy.]

At this moment, Wang Ling realized something much, much worst, his bloodlines and abilities were backlashing.

His veins, his flesh, and everything else were screaming and as he fell to the floor, he created a pool of blood.

'The Cosmic Foundation was the thing that kept the qi from rampaging, but without it, I am left to deal it on my own… I need to fix this!' he was in pain and biting his lower lips, Wang Ling was trying his best to find a way to fix this problem because if he doesn't, he would be nothing more than a cripple.

Wang Ling would not die from this, but with his qi being unusable.

He would've destroyed this body's qi pillars if he could, but, after some internal introspection, Wang Ling found out that his body did not have such a thing.

This befuddled him.

The qi pillars were the very start of cultivation, it was the vessel for qi storage yet it was now gone. But that was not the strangest thing.

It was the fact that he could still cultivate without them.

[The Qi Pillars stars the process of storage, then the Earth and Sky Roots would connect you to the world… however, this body, rather, this existence is already connected to the qi of the universe… though to be fair this boy's cultivation is only at the very start of cultivation… let's first try if I can create a Qi Pillar.]

Wang Ling made an attempt and failed.

COUGH!

Blood splashed out of his mouth and with this, he finally came to the realization of, "Cultivation has changed to a fundamental level."