[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete":3,"chapter-starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-chapter-33":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Starting from the Apocalypse, I Alone Severed Eternity",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2312415,4518,"Chapter 33: Impersonating a Strong One, Intimidating the Bandits","starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-chapter-33",33,"\u003Cp>“Strange, why have all these traps been dismantled?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sleazy man was filled with doubt; last time he came, the traps had been intact, with no sign of disturbance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes suddenly sharpened—he thought of one possibility—and sprinted swiftly toward the depths of the tunnel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, the sleazy man arrived before the underground palace, and what he saw startled him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The corpse of a dog-headed swordsman lay plainly on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What shocked the sleazy man even more was that there was not a single trace of struggle—the intruder had slain the dog-headed swordsman with a single strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sleazy man immediately returned and reported what he had seen to his newly appointed leader.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bad news, boss—someone got here before us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? Harris, what did you say?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bearded giant’s eyes blazed with malice; he had long considered the young dragon beneath him as his rightful possession, and would never allow another to take it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harris stammered: “When I went down just now, I found all the traps had been dismantled.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Realizing someone might have arrived ahead of us, I rushed straight to the entrance of the underground palace.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I found the corpse of a dog-headed swordsman there—and most importantly, it was killed in one blow. The intruder is extremely powerful.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bearded giant’s murderous gaze didn’t fade—powerful? Ridiculous. Even a dog-headed trash like that could be cut down by my own blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, our bandit gang has ruled eight hundred miles of yellow sand through sheer ruthlessness—how can we back down before even laying eyes on the enemy?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Forget all that—lead the way. I want to see which brat dares steal what belongs to me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.” What could Harris say? He could only lead the bandits into the underground palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the sacrificial hall, blood flowed like a river, corpses littered the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Squelch. Squelch.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi sat alone on the altar, eating roasted meat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This roasted meat came from firewing birds—earlier that morning, Fang Shi had ordered Xiao Xi and the other to hunt them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was completely unaffected by the environment, savoring every bite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having survived three years in the apocalypse, if he couldn’t handle this much bloodshed, he’d have been reincarnated long ago—never mind gaining a second life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His high perception served him again—Fang Shi sensed someone’s arrival in advance and vanished into a corner of the hall with a few flashes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is this a hidden quest? Or a clue left on the stone tablet?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi clearly remembered the abnormality of the temple’s stone tablet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough, outsiders arrived not long after.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Harris, what are you standing there for? Keep moving!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of the bandits, seeing Harris frozen in place ahead, urged him on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You… don’t you… smell… the blood…?” Harris’s voice trembled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bearded giant sniffed: “Of course I do—but someone’s here, so blood is normal. What’s the big deal?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, it’s different—all these dog-headed creatures are dead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, the entire bandit gang froze, then rushed to the hall’s entrance, leaping over the charred cart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before their eyes lay nothing but ruin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood soaked every tile, not a single patch remained clean.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Walking on it, one could feel the slight stickiness of blood clinging to their soles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This… how is this possible?” The bearded giant, though a killer of countless men, still had sharp eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ordinary people might only notice that all the dog-headed corpses bore wounds from identical weapons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he could go further—he could discern the killer’s fighting style.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every style was identical, almost certainly the work of a single hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the wounds matched those on the dog-headed corpses he’d encountered earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This filled the bearded giant with dread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, perhaps it’s the style of an organization—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The same training methods, producing fighters with identical techniques.” The bearded giant tried to reassure himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet even so, he carefully examined the scene again, seeking to verify his theory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more he looked, the more his heart sank—all evidence shattered his hopes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was unmistakably the work of one person; no trace of a second could be found.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bearded giant’s heart pounded—he feared even a group of attackers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though dog-headed creatures were weak, mostly civilian miners, at most thirty or forty were combat-trained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a species, dog-headed creatures ranked at the bottom of all life forms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Level 1 dog-headed warrior could be defeated by even a Level 1 human without combat training.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Level 5 dog-headed sorcerer could be challenged by an average Level 4 combatant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Scorpion Bandits had one Level 5 warrior, one Level 4 warrior, six Level 3 warriors, one Level 3 rogue, twenty-eight Level 1 warriors, and two Level 1 rogues.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet even with such strength, fighting here, they’d be wiped out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, dog-headed sorcerers were at least spellcasters—and with cannon fodder, their advantage was overwhelming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bearded giant had never planned to fight in the hall—he intended to pick them off one by one, wearing them down before facing the sorcerer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, one person—only one person—had stormed the hall and slaughtered every dog-headed creature in a single strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And to prevent escape, they’d blocked the exits with carts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such a person—he’d only seen their like among the nobles of the eight hundred miles of yellow sand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those Ascended transcendentals, who had undergone life transcendence, were no longer the same species as ordinary mortals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bearded giant had already decided to retreat—just as he opened his mouth to order withdrawal, the sound of footsteps splashing through blood echoed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned—and saw, on the left side of the hall, a young man had appeared without warning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man had a short, cropped haircut, strikingly handsome, dressed in strange, foreign-style attire, gripping a longsword whose intricate patterns clearly marked it as no ordinary weapon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood spattered his body, yet it did not mar his aura—instead, he resembled a death sentinel from the netherworld, reaping lives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who are you!” One of the Scorpion Bandits drew his blade and roared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ignorance breeds fearlessness—and blades are drawn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stop!” The bearded giant rushed forward, blocking the man, then slapped him hard across the face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This move left some of the bandits bewildered, while others looked relieved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Esteemed Lord, I am Pade, leader of the Scorpion Bandits. Please forgive my men’s ignorance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bearded giant bowed deeply before Fang Shi, humbly, his movements practiced—as if he’d done this many times before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course—he had. The Scorpion Bandits had existed for so long in the eight hundred miles of yellow sand that they knew exactly who to provoke and who to avoid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had long bowed before the nobles of the eight hundred miles of yellow sand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their so-called disregard for life was merely bravado against equals or inferiors—to gain psychological advantage in battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It did not mean they had such courage when facing overwhelming power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi sneered: “If I let the man who drew his blade against me go unpunished, what becomes of my authority?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pade gritted his teeth, turned to the man who had drawn his blade, and whispered, “I’m sorry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With his left hand, he gripped the man’s right wrist; with his right hand, he drew his own steel blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man seemed to realize his mistake—his eyes filled with despair, struggling weakly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But since Pade had stopped him, two veteran bandits behind had already restrained him—he could not resist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The steel blade fell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aaah!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man’s scream had barely escaped his throat when the men behind stuffed a rag into his mouth, to spare the Lord’s ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pade personally picked up the severed hand, held it with both hands, and bowed before Fang Shi: “The criminal has been punished. We beg your mercy, Lord.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi narrowed his eyes, grunted, and nodded in satisfaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he realized a bandit gang had entered, Fang Shi had already devised a plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He intended to impersonate an Ascended Stronghold, intimidate the bandits, and use them to dig a passage to the young dragon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The plan succeeded perfectly—before his rebirth, Fang Shi had been a Second-Stage cultivator, and he perfectly mimicked the aura of an Ascended combatant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Combined with the corpses of the dog-headed creatures and the bandits’ ignorance of his ambush tactics, his intimidation was complete.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cutting off the man’s right hand further amplified the intimidation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bandits fear danger, not virtue—if Fang Shi showed mercy, they’d push further, haggling over his orders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re here looking for the young dragon?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pade dared not admit it: “No, no—we’re here to eliminate the dog-headed creatures!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi snorted: “Don’t lie to me—my perception is high enough to detect falsehoods instantly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pade forced a smile: “I didn’t know you were here, Lord—I didn’t realize this was your domain. Forgive me, Lord.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heh.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi’s laugh sent chills through everyone present—this ruthless man rivaled the nobles of the eight hundred miles of yellow sand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he drew his blade, would they fight… or flee?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the saying goes: when facing a dragon, you don’t need to outrun the dragon—only your companions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, internal currents surged within the Giant Scorpion Bandits, each member harboring secret motives; the cowardly Harris had already been slowly edging toward the passage exit since Fang Shi’s appearance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough with the flattery—I have a task for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pade slapped his chest and immediately said, “My lord’s business is my business—I’d die for my lord, wouldn’t you, brothers?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, someone from the Giant Scorpion Bandits began cheering, and under the herd effect, the rest followed, shouting “Yes!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Fang Shi trusted not a single one of these bandits; if he ordered them to die, he’d consider it a miracle if they didn’t resist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi pointed at the pale white palace door: “See that door? Right now, dig a passage into it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pade froze—he hadn’t expected it to be this simple, though it would take time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, it was just a passage; a few men would suffice. The space was limited—more people couldn’t even work side by side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Fang Shi added: “Hurry. Work at full strength. Take turns. Exhaust yourselves. Finish before nightfall.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pade ventured cautiously: “My lord, must it be so urgent? This is too difficult!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No choice—it’s inside that you’ll find the young dragon you want.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pade’s eyes widened.\u003C\u002Fp>",1705,"2026-06-20T12:43:33.559Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","e3fc1b5ab103d250c6aa103711184718d8e5f5c333e16df80e62fb2e3ff53c66","starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-chapter-34","starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-chapter-32",109,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstarting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-cover.jpg"]