Ancient God

Chapter 2: The Path of a Mortal

A Weak Body, A Boundless Soul

Jiang Chen sat cross-legged on the cold floor, his eyes closed. He could feel the weakness in his flesh—the frail body of a third-rate disciple. The Azure Sky Sect had hundreds of outer disciples, and he was at the very bottom.

"This body… it’s too weak."

His past self had once commanded the cosmos, capable of erasing celestial beings with a single thought. Now, he could barely circulate Qi without feeling exhaustion.

He exhaled slowly.

The Creation Bead still lay dormant in his soul, its immense power locked away. He could sense it, a limitless ocean sealed behind an unbreakable gate.

"It seems I must rely on normal cultivation for now."

Opening his eyes, he reached under the bed and pulled out a small jade slip—the Azure Sky Sect’s Foundation Manual.

It was a basic technique, something even a commoner could practice. To others, it was useless, but Jiang Chen knew—every path starts with a single step.

A Cultivation World Without Mercy

Just as he was about to begin cultivating, a loud bang echoed outside his door.

"Jiang Chen!" A mocking voice called out.

The door swung open violently, and a young man dressed in a blue disciple’s robe strode in, smirking. Behind him stood two others, sneering.

It was Liu Tao, an inner disciple’s lackey.

Jiang Chen looked up, his expression indifferent.

"What do you want?" he asked flatly.

Liu Tao clicked his tongue. "Still pretending to be proud? A useless waste like you should already know your place." He tossed a small wooden plaque onto the ground.

"Your monthly resources. The sect only provides a single Qi-Gathering Pill to outer disciples, but unfortunately…" Liu Tao grinned, stepping on the plaque. "I seem to have dropped it."

The two lackeys behind him laughed.

Jiang Chen stared at them, silent.

His past self had seen countless arrogant disciples like these—ants who mistook themselves for dragons.

If this were the past, a single wave of his hand would have erased their entire bloodline.

But he was not the Ancient God right now. He was just Jiang Chen, the weakest outer disciple.

For now.

"You’re awfully quiet today," Liu Tao sneered. "Could it be you’ve finally realized you’re trash?"

Jiang Chen’s gaze remained calm.

Then, slowly, he reached forward—toward the plaque under Liu Tao’s foot.

Liu Tao smirked and pressed down harder, expecting Jiang Chen to give up.

But the next moment—

Crack.

The sound of breaking bones filled the air.

Liu Tao screamed, stumbling back, his foot twisted unnaturally. His face paled as he collapsed to the floor, clutching his ankle.

His lackeys stared in shock.

"You…" Liu Tao gasped. "What did you do?!"

Jiang Chen withdrew his hand, flicking his fingers as if shaking off dust. His voice was calm.

"I took back what was mine."

Liu Tao's body trembled. Just a second ago, he had felt something—an immense pressure, something that froze his very soul.

It had lasted only an instant, but it was enough to terrify him.

This wasn’t the useless Jiang Chen they had mocked before.

This was something else.

"You…" Liu Tao swallowed. "You’ll regret this. Senior Brother Fang won’t let you off!"

Jiang Chen said nothing. He simply picked up the plaque and turned away.

The door shut, and the room fell into silence.

Outside, Liu Tao and his lackeys scrambled away, their arrogance shattered.

Inside, Jiang Chen sat down once more.

His expression was still calm, but deep within his soul, something had awakened.

"This mortal body is weak… but I am not."

The road ahead was long, but he had taken his first step.

And soon, the world would remember—

The Ancient God had returned.