Blood stained the vast Gobi desert.
Under the dying glow of the setting sun, rows of armed helicopters hovered in the sky.
And below, the tanks and armored vehicles rumbled in deafening unison, their engines shaking the earth.
From one end of the barren expanse to the other, corpses lay scattered tens of thousands of them.
Just an hour ago, they had been the world’s most feared, most ruthless, most inhuman force: The Black Mamba Mercenary Corps. Now, every last one of them lay dead.
And the ones who had annihilated them were the invincible legion before them, the strongest force in the world: The Temple of the War God.
…
A helicopter suddenly surged forward, hovering above the lead armored vehicle.
A fully armed soldier leaped down, landing on one knee with a sharp thud. His voice rang out, firm and urgent:
“Temple Master! A major discovery at the Black Mamba base!”
Xiao Zhan pushed open the armored door and stepped out.
Clad in desert camouflage, his posture straight and unyielding, his presence overwhelming.
He flicked the cigarette in his hand to the ground, then reached out to take the folder the soldier handed over.
As his gaze swept to the second page, the corner of his lips curled in a faint, mocking smile.
“How interesting… They were trying to extract a combat-enhancing drug from my DNA.”
But when he flipped to the next page, that cold smile vanished, replaced by shock, disbelief… and something far darker.
His fingers began to tremble. Pages flipped faster and faster, and with every line he read, a chill sharper than steel bled from his body.
Five years ago, broken and bleeding, he’d been left for dead in an abandoned park in Shangjing.
It was a girl named Ye Wei who had found him and saved his life.
He could never forget her, still a college student, working three part-time jobs every day, just to buy him medicine.
He could never forget that girl, pure as a snow lotus, smiling as she told him,
“You have to get better soon!”
And he could never forget that final letter she left behind, the one that shattered his world:
“I’m going back home to get married. Don’t come looking for me.”
But now…
The file in his hand revealed the truth. Ye Wei had never married.
Four years ago, she gave birth to a child.
And the child’s father was him, Xiao Zhan.
A surge of killing intent burst from him, so fierce it felt as though the air itself might shatter.
All around him, his soldiers snapped to attention, silently awaiting his command.
“Brothers!”
His voice thundered across the Gobi, sharp and raw.
“Good news, your big brother’s a father now!”
But his bloodshot eyes burned with rage as his next words tore through the sky:
“But those Black Mamba rats… they’ve already gone to Yanlong Nation, to take my wife and daughter!”
In that instant, every soldier’s eyes turned crimson. The killing intent that erupted was so wild that even the vultures circling overhead shrieked and fled.
Together, their roar shook the heavens:
“Kill! Kill! Kill!”
Xiao Zhan vaulted upward, his figure a blur as he landed at the helicopter’s cabin door.
Looking down at his men, his voice rumbled like distant thunder:
“In three days, we will reach Yunshan City in Yanlong Nation! Gods or Buddhas, kill them all if they dare stand in our way!”
The helicopter surged forward, streaking east.
Within two minutes, the world was shaken by breaking news.
The Black Mamba Mercenary Corps, ranked first among global mercenaries, had been obliterated by the Temple of the war God.
And then came the second wave: reports that the Temple’s forces were moving, every last one of them, toward Yanlong Nation.
Only then did the world begin to realize: what they knew of the Temple of the war God’s strength… was only the tip of the iceberg.
The Temple of the war God was believed to have around fifty thousand members. However, over 150,000 operatives had already been exposed, and the number continued to climb.
Dozens of Heaven-tier fighters. Tens of thousands of Earth-tier elites. The revelation sent countless powers trembling.
…
Yanlong Nation, Shangjing City, National Security Bureau Base.
Sirens wailed through the underground facility. Tens of thousands of staff moved frantically, eyes glued to screens as surveillance feeds from across the country poured in.
“The numbers are still climbing! What is the Temple of the war God planning?!” someone cried.
In the sealed conference room, over a hundred senior officials stared grimly at the giant satellite map on the wall.
Red dots, dozens, then hundreds, streamed toward Yanlong from every corner of the globe.
A middle-aged officer slammed his fist on the table.
“They’ve only existed for five years, but the Temple has wiped out over three hundred of the world’s darkest organizations. I always believed they stood on the side of justice…”
“Then, someone tell me, why are they coming here?!”
Across the table, an older man frowned deeply but shook his head.
“The Temple of the war God is indeed just. That’s beyond doubt. Every force they’ve destroyed was one our nation despised to the core. And never forget, every single member of the Temple… is of Yanlong blood.”
Another official muttered, confused, “But in all these years, the Temple has never once set foot in Yanlong. Why mobilize on such a scale now? Could it be… there’s a hidden dark force operating in our own country?”
A chill swept through the room. If that were true, it would mean catastrophic failure on their part.
Suddenly, the giant screen flickered, revealing the stern face of a middle-aged man.
Everyone rose to attention.
He gave a low, measured grunt before speaking:
“This operation is not an assault on Yanlong. Effective immediately, all Security Bureau branches are to stand down. Do not interfere with the Temple’s movements.”
Relief washed through the room in a collective exhale.
Elsewhere, the message rippled across the underworld. Every hidden agent stationed in Yanlong received the same urgent order:
Withdraw immediately. Do not engage the Temple of the war God.
…
Yunshan City.
Rumors flew like wildfire.
A “great figure” was coming. Someone so powerful that even the city’s most illustrious families scrambled to curry favor.
What none of them knew was that the man descending upon Yunshan carried not prestige… but a storm of fury.
…
Atop the towering Yunjiang Iron Tower, Xiao Zhan stood, his sharp gaze sweeping over the city sprawled beneath him.
Down below, a few bodies bobbed gently in the river. A closer look revealed the Black Mamba insignia cruelly carved into their necks.
A man in white, around thirty, sprinted across the surface of the river as if it were solid ground. In less than five seconds, he’d scaled the thousand-meter tower, landing soundlessly beside Xiao Zhan.
Pressing a fist to his heart, his tone respectful yet taut, he reported:
“Temple Master, all enemy operatives from global dark forces stationed in Yanlong have been neutralized.
We’ve also confirmed two Black Mamba remnants are still in hiding.”
Xiao Zhan’s gaze lingered on the drifting corpses below, his calm voice carrying the chill of a storm about to break.
“Any news of Ye Wei?”
The man Jiang Yuan shook his head, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.
“My lord, we found only ten women in Yunshan with that name. Of those, only one matches the age you mentioned, the young lady of the Ye family.”
“But the Ye family is the wealthiest in Yunshan. That doesn’t match what you described about her background.
What’s more… she’s to be married tomorrow.”
Xiao Zhan’s pupils contracted.
“Jiang Yuan,” he said lowly, “go to the Ye family. If that young lady is truly the one I seek, place her under protection.
And if… if she truly wants to marry… I will give her my blessing.”
Jiang Yuan nodded sharply, then leaped from the tower, racing across the river until his figure vanished into the night.
…
Far across the city, the Ye family estate glittered with lights and festivities.
Lanterns hung high. Red silk streamed from the gates. It was a scene of joyous celebration.
Deep inside the compound, a two-story villa was tightly guarded by over a dozen burly men. Not even a mosquito could slip through.
Upstairs, behind a locked bedroom door, a refined middle-aged woman balanced a tray of food, her voice coaxing, almost pleading:
“Weiwei, your grandfather’s decision cannot be changed. Listen to me, just marry into the Xiao family willingly.
The Xiao clan is a powerful house in Shangjing, far above us, the Ye family. You won’t be losing anything.”
“And think about it, of all the young ladies in our family, their young master chose you. That’s your blessing, isn’t it?”
Silence.
She sighed softly.
“I, too, married into the Ye family through an arranged match, and look at me, I’ve lived a good life. Eat something, get some sleep, and greet tomorrow with a smile.
I may not be your real mother, but I do want what’s best for you. At least say something, child.”
Inside, Ye Wei sat curled by the window, still wearing the white T-shirt and blue jeans from the day she’d been dragged back five days ago. She was thinner now, frail, ghostly.
Her long hair hung in tangled waves over her shoulders, her delicate face hollowed by exhaustion and streaked with dried tears. Her eyes were filled with despair… and a quiet, smoldering rage.
She whispered the same name over and over, “Yaoyao.”
Her daughter. Her only light.
Thinking of that man, her vision blurred again, and fresh tears slid down her face.
Outside the door, the woman’s voice turned cold.
“Ye Wei, don’t blame me for being harsh. If you won’t think for yourself, at least think of that little bastard.
Your grandfather said it, refuse to marry, starve yourself if you like, but that child will be buried with you!”