Zeus' bloodlust was rising fast. He realized he'd been played for a fool. His obsession with the breakthrough technique was the only reason he hadn't made his move earlier.Now it hit him that Grace's promises were all lies. The supposed breakthrough was just an excuse to buy time. The more he thought about it, the deeper his anger grew, and with it came the deadly urge to strike."Yes. I was trying to extend Logan's life… But the breakthrough method is real," Grace said calmly.She continued, "You should've noticed by now that I'm a disciple of Regal Observatory. Across Dragonmarsh, only two people have reached beyond the ultimate grandmaster level."The first is Arion, Ancient Sage of Sacred Wrym Summit, and the second is Ezekiel, chief overseer of Regal Observatory. As royal gods of the Hall of Gods, I'm sure you've heard this before."If Ezekiel managed to break through past the ultimate grandmaster, then of course, he had a special technique. And since I'm his disciple, I hap

Grace was telling the truth. No matter how strong someone's willpower was, tiny tells always gave them away when they lied. To an ultimate grandmaster, those tells weren't just noticeable, but they were amplified a hundredfold.Most of what she said was true. She'd simply laced it with a few well-placed lies. Truth and falsehood blurred together until no one could tell them apart.The breakthrough technique she claimed to have found in the ancient manuscripts was real. However, she never promised it would work or how far someone could get with it. Just in case, she'd made sure to cover her tracks.Grace had copied the technique exactly as written, so she could swear a binding oath that it was authentic. But she had also scrambled key parts of the instructions and built two conflicting cultivation paths into it. That way, neither Zeus nor Hera could detect the sabotage or break through. Grace had poured time and effort into the deception. To her, his sudden threat was nothing mor

"Break through!"Dustin's rage exploded inside him. His Dracan essence surged like a tidal wave and crashed relentlessly against the last few pressure points with unstoppable force.Thunderous explosions rang out in quick succession.Dustin, who had lost too much blood, finally buckled under the strain and fell from midair. At that instant, his life was hanging by a thread.…Inside the ancient temple atop Embercrest Hill, Grace, who was helping Zeus and Hera decipher the breakthrough technique, paused mid-translation. A strange unease stirred in her chest as if she had sensed something, and she frowned.What happened? Had Dustin failed?The thought struck like lightning, sharp and sudden. Her chest tightened with worry.She had placed all her hope in him. If he failed to break through and died, it wouldn't just be her life on the line. Everyone on Embercrest Hill, and even half the nation, would be doomed.Suddenly, a knot of fear twisted in Grace's gut. She had to get back t

At first, Zeus and Hera hadn't taken Dustin seriously.In their eyes, Dustin's strength was comparable to Poseidon's. Since he was severely wounded, they figured either one of them could easily take him down, let alone if they attacked together.But after testing him with a few probing strikes, they realized things weren't that simple.Looking at Dustin radiating such vitality, they wondered if there was even any sign of injury. Not only was he unharmed, but his strength far exceeded their expectations.There were only two possible explanations for this situation. Either their intel gathering had been wrong, or Dustin had stumbled onto some lucky break that led to an unexpected breakthrough. As for how far he'd advanced, they couldn't tell for the time being.At that instant, Zeus and Hera finally understood why Grace had been stalling for time. Initially, they'd assumed she was buying time so Dustin could recover without being interrupted. But now they realized that he hadn't b

Zeus was dead. The royal god of the Hall of Gods had rampaged through Dragonmarsh for days before finally meeting his end here. His body was utterly obliterated.He had reached a fully developed ultimate grandmaster realm, with only a single step separating him from the realm of terrestrial immortals. Yet that single step proved to be an insurmountable chasm.No matter how powerful he was or how deep his foundations were, he remained powerless before that final barrier. In truth, that single step had blocked his path for decades.When Zeus learned that Dustin had successfully broken through to the next realm, it broke his spirit. Eventually, he died with bitter resentment."It's finally over," Grace said.She breathed a sigh of relief as she gazed at Zeus' scattered remains. The past few days of dealing with Zeus and Hera had left her mentally and physically drained.During that time, she couldn't afford a single mistake. She had to rely on her silver tongue to convince the two