Chapter 573: Great Change of Heaven and Earth, Spiritual Qi Surges

Birds and beasts gathered from all directions as if answering some unseen summons. As they bathed in the dense Spiritual Qi, their fur grew glossier and their eyes more intelligent. Unlike the mutated creatures before them, they showed no signs of madness or violence, exuding only an air of tranquility.

In a short time, the entire flood discharge area transformed from a silent, desolate wasteland into a vibrant oasis!

“My God!” Liangzi stared blankly at the scene, his jaw hanging open in shock.

Song Ling’Er and Alina were also mesmerized. Such world-altering power gave them a much deeper appreciation for the strength that came from Cultivation.

The release of Spiritual Qi continued for a full day and night. Once seventy to eighty percent of the stagnant energy within the Spirit Cutting Array had been discharged and the pressure was significantly reduced, Wu Liangchen hesitated no longer.

He took a deep breath, and the Primal True Qi in his body erupted without reservation. He thrust out both fists, ruthlessly smashing them into the core of the Spirit Cutting Array.

BOOM!

An earth-shattering roar echoed out. Under Wu Liangchen’s heavy fists, the Spirit Cutting Array, which had existed for centuries, let out a final, unwilling wail before shattering with a bang. It dissolved into a sky full of glittering specks of light that quickly dissipated.

The moment the Spirit Cutting Array was utterly destroyed, the entire underground base jolted violently.

Immediately after, a tremendous roar originating from deep within the earth’s ley lines rushed from the distant depths, as if a great dragon, asleep for millennia, had finally awoken and let out a roar that shook the cosmos.

The entire continental plate began to tremble violently in response.

Mountains moved, rivers changed their course, and the earth’s crust groaned under the strain. In Zhongjing, countless people were terrified by the sudden cataclysm, believing the end of the world was at hand.

Only a few perceptive Martial Artists and Mages vaguely sensed that some kind of shackles binding the world… had just been broken.

At the same time, the mist that had shrouded the oceans for centuries like an iron curtain began to thin and dissipate at an astonishing speed.

For the first time, sunlight pierced through the fog, dappling the turbulent surface of the sea. The sea monsters, once so ferocious and violent that their very name inspired terror, now bathed in the long-absent sunlight and nascent Spiritual Qi. The demonic aura about them began to slowly fade away, their eyes gradually regaining clarity as they grew docile.

A fresh, pure, and vibrant energy began to permeate the world.

Martial Artists were delighted to discover that the circulation of their Qi and Blood during Cultivation was now much smoother, and their bottlenecks seemed to have loosened considerably. Mages felt as if they were fish back in water; the connection between their Spiritual Power and the world had become clearer than ever before, and the power of their Magic rose accordingly.

It was as if the entire world had been infused with new life overnight!

And the one who benefited most from this world-shaking transformation was undoubtedly Wu Liangchen.

Though he had previously broken through to the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment thanks to his Primal Spirit-Devouring Art, the depletion of Spiritual Qi meant he couldn’t unleash his full strength. Even so, he had still been able to clash with and defeat Tang Yuchu, a Cultivator at the Late-stage Foundation Establishment.

‘One could only imagine what Tang Yuchu would think if she knew she had lost to a Wu Liangchen who wasn’t even at his peak.’

Now, with the Spirit Cutting Array destroyed and the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi revived, the pure Primal True Qi in his body circulated madly. Like a sponge after a long drought, it greedily absorbed the vast Spiritual Qi flooding into him.

His Cultivation Realm rapidly solidified and his strength climbed higher and higher. The bottleneck to the next stage, which he’d reached at Mid-stage Foundation Establishment, was even showing faint signs of loosening!

Wu Liangchen kept his eyes shut, carefully savoring the explosive surge of power within him.

A moment later, he finally opened his eyes. In that instant, it was as if countless stars materialized within their depths.

…

In Zhongjing, the former headquarters of the Skydome Group had now become the core base of the Starfire Organization. Wu Liangchen’s presence there was like a pillar of stability, anchoring the situation after the great upheaval.

Lao Gui, Jian Yi, Song Ling’Er, and Alina each took charge of their duties. The Starfire Organization’s influence expanded rapidly, springing up everywhere like mushrooms after a spring rain. They began to liquidate the major corporations and financial syndicates within the Alliance that had once tyrannized and preyed upon the common people.

Inside a brightly lit, luxurious manor, the stench of rich food and wine mingled with wails of despair. Like an autumn wind sweeping away dead leaves, the Starfire Organization’s soldiers dismantled the security forces that put up a futile resistance.

The manor’s owner, a corporate president who had once been an influential bigwig among the Alliance’s elite, was now ashen-faced and slumped to the floor. He watched as the wealth he had spent half a lifetime accumulating was seized, his eyes filled with bitterness and terror.

“Mr. Wu has given his word. In consideration of your past contributions to the development of the Alliance, however meager, he will spare your lives—provided you cooperate and surrender all illegal assets. You may even be allowed to keep some of your legally obtained property.”

A Starfire Squad captain announced the order, his voice icy. “But if you dare to resist, there is only one fate that awaits you—death!”

Similar scenes played out in major cities all across the Alliance. Faced with the Starfire Organization’s swift and decisive methods, backed by the absolute power of a “god of slaughter” like Wu Liangchen, these once-unbeatable tycoons were utterly powerless to resist.

Some chose futile resistance, a path that ended in their deaths and the ruin of their families. Others, more pragmatic, chose to cooperate. Though they lost the majority of their wealth and power, they at least kept their lives.

While purging the old guard, the Starfire Organization was also vigorously cultivating new talent. The former underground training grounds of the Skydome Group had now become the Starfire Organization’s Martial Arts and Magic Academy.

On the spacious training grounds, hundreds of young people, selected from all over, trained arduously, sweat pouring down like rain.

“Your strikes must be fast! Precise! Ruthless!”

Jian Yi’s eyes were blindfolded, and his hands were empty. Yet by simply shaping his fingers into a blade and making a casual gesture, he sent a young, sword-wielding student stumbling backward, his face a mask of shock.

Though he was blind, nothing escaped his keen senses—not the slightest stir in the air, not even his students’ faint breaths and heartbeats. “Your sword shouldn’t just be a piece of iron in your hand,” he said. “It must be an extension of your will, the very edge of your spirit!”

Elsewhere, Song Ling’Er was personally instructing a group of students in marksmanship and basic Magic. Her skill with a gun was sublime, and the occasional magical demonstrations she performed left the students breathless with admiration.

Wu Liangchen would occasionally appear at the training grounds as well. He never personally instructed, but would simply stand and quietly watch the vibrant, energetic young people.

‘They are the future hope of this world.’ The revival of Spiritual Qi was not merely an opportunity for the older generation of experts; it was the dawn of a golden age for the young to rise.

He could sense that gifted saplings were already beginning to emerge from among these youths. Nourished by the abundant Spiritual Qi, their rate of growth far exceeded anything from the past.

The entire world was heading in a new, prosperous direction.

「Ten days later. Qing Province docks.」

Wu Liangchen stood before the familiar docks. The salty sea breeze ruffled his hair, carrying the unique, damp scent of the ocean.

In the distance, the cries of seagulls rose and fell. Several large cargo ships were slowly pulling into the harbor, their horns letting out deep, muffled blasts.

It felt as if nothing had changed, and yet everything was different.

It was from here that Wu Liangchen had first set foot on the Alliance continent. Back then, he was just an insignificant foreign Martial Cultivator. Now, barely more than a year later, he was a Cultivator at Mid-stage Foundation Establishment and held the power of Starfire in his hands—enough to change the fate of the entire world.

Gazing out at the boundless ocean, he saw that the strange mist that once shrouded it had completely vanished after the destruction of the Spirit Cutting Array, revealing the sea’s original azure expanse. Sunlight scattered across the sparkling waves, glittering like a thousand shards of gold.

Wu Liangchen’s thoughts couldn’t help but drift to faraway places.

‘I wonder how Erya is doing… Is my sister Mengchan safe? And then there’s Yang Lian’Er…’

Wu Liangchen sighed softly, then forcibly pushed the thoughts from his mind.

‘It’s not time to go back yet.’

‘At the very least, I have to make anyone who dares covet this world feel the pain. I have to beat them into submission!’

‘Only then can I go back in peace.’

As Wu Liangchen stood before the docks with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing into the distance while his heart swelled with emotion, a dark mass of figures had gathered just beyond the wharf.

Dozens of obviously expensive luxury cars were parked silently in the distance. Throngs of impeccably dressed, important-looking people were craning their necks, eagerly looking toward the docks. Their expressions were a mixture of awe, curiosity, apprehension, and undisguised excitement.

And standing at the very front of the crowd were none other than the members of the Tian family.