Volume One, Chapter Four: Retribution Never Fails, Only Awaits Its Time

Master Wang felt countless waves of terror spreading through his body. He was acutely aware that a Celestial Master could not be insulted, yet today, in order to survive, he had already committed numerous acts that disgraced such a title. Now, having even raised his hand with the intent to harm a Celestial Master’s life, he understood that he had sealed his own fate.

Jiang Chen strode in before everyone, his entrance witnessed by all. Tong Yan’s mouth hung wide open, her eyes filled with disbelief. Her entire understanding of the world was overturned, her worldview shattered in an instant. Raised with the firm belief—shaped by both family and society—that nothing in this world lay beyond the reach of science, she now had no choice but to accept that this man before her truly was the legendary Celestial Master. The living Jiang Chen and the fallen "Jiang Chen" forced her to accept the impossible.

Jiang Chen gave a faint cough and said, "I had intended to leave you a whole corpse. But now..."

In the eyes of the siblings, Tong Yan and Tong Wuji, Master Wang was already a dead man.

Yet unexpectedly, Jiang Chen said, "You may go."

"Go?!"

"What?! Go? Are you mad, Celestial Master?" Tong Yan exclaimed, unable to comprehend.

Tong Wuji was equally baffled, attempting to reason, "Master, this man is a liar and a cheat, even willing to kill. How could you just let him leave? Isn’t that simply inviting disaster?"

Among them, the elegant woman choked back tears and pleaded, "Master, you mustn’t forgive him so easily. My husband nearly died because of him. If you don’t wish to deal with him, can’t we just call the police?"

Master Wang could no longer care for what anyone said. Upon hearing Jiang Chen’s words, his excitement was uncontrollable. Jiang Chen, as if deaf to the objections, waved his hand, "Go. I’ll give you five seconds to run for your life."

"No!"

Tong Yan tried to stop him, but Master Wang had already leapt out the window. Shards of glass cut into his flesh, yet he paid no heed, so caught up was he in his own wild exhilaration. He seared the faces of those present into his memory—if he survived, he would surely take vengeance on them all.

"Hahaha! I survived! I survived!" Master Wang’s manic laughter echoed as he ran. Tong Yan, who had just begun to feel a flicker of respect for Jiang Chen, now seethed with indignation.

She said angrily, "I thought you were a righteous hero, worthy of the name Celestial Master. It seems I was terribly mistaken."

The elegant woman lowered her head in silent sorrow as Master Wang fled, and the rest could do nothing but watch. Tong Wuji sighed, unable to argue; after all, he had already witnessed the Celestial Master’s power—someone beyond the reproach of ordinary men. Still, watching the villain escape left him smoldering with frustration.

Leaning against the stair rail, Jiang Chen said, "Good and evil always meet with their due. The reckoning may be delayed, but it never fails to come. If you don’t believe me, look to the sky."

At those words, they gazed upward. The once clear and azure sky had grown heavy with clouds, lightning weaving through the heavens in a tangled dance.

A clap of thunder boomed, as if announcing the arrival of judgment.

Master Wang felt his steps grow leaden, his hair standing on end, as if some unseen force guided him.

A violet bolt of lightning tore open the sky, striking the ground just a meter from his feet in an instant.

The thunder rolled on, unceasing, as though this symphony of lightning had been orchestrated solely for Master Wang.

They all stared up, stunned, having momentarily forgotten Jiang Chen’s earlier decision to let Master Wang go, now simply hoping the lightning would strike him dead.

Sensing something, Master Wang looked up at the sky. In that instant, he seemed to see the faces of all those he had deceived, cheated, or led to their deaths, appearing amidst the storm clouds, demanding his life in return.

Tong Yan blinked and murmured, "How strange—what is he looking at? There’s nothing there at all."

Indeed, the sky was filled only with lightning as far as ordinary eyes could see. But what Jiang Chen beheld was a surging tide of resentment, left behind by the victims, rolling out for miles and covering the heavens.

Master Wang turned and, with a heavy thud, collapsed to his knees, kowtowing ceaselessly toward Jiang Chen, so fervently that blood began to trickle from his forehead, yet he did not pause.

"Master, spare me!" he cried at the top of his lungs.

Jiang Chen sighed and pointed to the sky. "I would let you go, but do you think those you murdered will agree to release you?"

After all, every man fears death, and even scoundrels like Master Wang are no exception. If Jiang Chen hadn’t divined the heavy chains of karma clinging to him, he might have turned a blind eye—at most, he would have let him off with a lesson. But once life was taken, Jiang Chen could not let it pass.

A Celestial Master of Mount Dragon and Tiger does not truly earn his title merely by subduing demons; he must also right the injustices of the world and purify its root. Master Wang, this beast, was a fitting first example.

"Thunder above, root of all law,
God of Lightning, heed my command."

As Jiang Chen silently recited the incantation, the aimless bolts raging among the clouds seemed to find their target. In an instant, the sky fell still, the lightning gathering its strength for a final, deadly strike.

Seeing the Celestial Master unmoved, Master Wang sprang to his feet in panic. "I’ll run! If I can escape the range of the lightning’s attack, you’ll have no power over me!"

The storm continued to brew above, but Jiang Chen remained calm, having already seen through all of Master Wang’s tricks.

Master Wang, in his desperation, ran wildly, heedless of direction, with only one thought: escape. If he could just get away, he would have hope of survival—and should he live, he would return one day to destroy this young man’s family.

Tong Yan tilted her head, puzzled. "Why is he running in circles? Has he been scared witless?"

Tong Wuji was equally perplexed. "Master, why not simply have the lightning strike him down?"

For ordinary people, Jiang Chen’s actions were hard to understand, but he had his reasons. Of course, he could have killed Master Wang instantly, but that would not resolve the web of karmic debt. Worse, it could transfer the burden onto himself. Besides, his earlier divination had already fixed Master Wang’s death.

If he acted rashly, he might frighten off the thunder’s judgment, and then would have to intervene personally. Therefore, he chose to observe, using the incantation merely as a catalyst to ensure the lightning struck at the destined moment.

Rubbing his nose, Jiang Chen said, "I suppose... the time has come. He should be on his way."