Guo Jiang and Wei Zhan were already several dozen steps apart when they left the Northwest Grassland behind.Late afternoon light stretched across the open sky. Below them, grassland gave way to broken hills, silver rivers, and darker ridges leading toward the northeastern coast. The sea remained far ahead, but Wei Zhan had already chosen that direction because the empty horizon offered fewer witnesses and, he hoped, more room to escape.Compressed Kaishi bursts exploded beneath his feet one after another. Each burst bent the air and drove him forward in a violent leap. His dark robes snapped behind him, and the qi around his legs thickened whenever he changed altitude.Guo Jiang followed without drawing a weapon.His movement lacked the harsh force of Wei Zhan’s escape. He did not tear through the sky or scatter clouds with every step. Banxiang qi gathered beneath him in measured pulses, carrying his body forward while preserving breath and balance.Wei Zhan rose sharply.Guo Jiang w

Guo Jiang descended toward the Northwest Grassland alone. No trace of Wei Zhan appeared behind him. No Black Roc carried the Logun Sage back toward the fleet, and no Kaishi aura remained in the northeastern sky. The alliance reached the same conclusion before Guo Jiang touched the ground. Wei Zhan was dead. Sect leaders gathered near the central command area and prepared formal thanks. Some were sincere. Others feared offending a Banxiang expert who had just killed the man who forced them to kneel. A few were already calculating what relationship with Guo Jiang might offer their factions. His Banxiang aura remained naturally present. It was not deliberately released, yet the difference in realm affected every cultivator nearby. Before Guo Jiang reached the leaders, one sect master lowered himself to his knees. The gesture spread.&

Guo Jiang withdrew a necklace from his storage ring and placed it across his palm. The chain was fine but durable, while the pendant carried restrained craftsmanship from Almaria Continent. It was not covered in excessive jewels, and Guo Jiang did not describe its price as though trying to balance one treasure against another. “I received this during my time in Almaria,” he said. “Please accept it.” Mahya’s fingers stopped against the edge of her sleeve. “I did not offer the spirit ship to receive payment.” “Nor am I treating your gift as a market transaction.” “Then keep the necklace.” Guo Jiang shook his head. “If you repay Feilong Order’s debt while refusing every return from me, I remain beneath an obligation that can never close. Jianghu friendship should n

Guo Jiang kept his gaze on the dusty messenger. “Describe their direction first, then their appearance and methods.” The young man rubbed both palms against his trousers, leaving pale streaks across the fabric. Fear had pushed him into speaking too quickly, and Shen Jin raised one hand before the words tangled further. “Report in order,” the captain said. “Your name, position, what you witnessed, and what others confirmed.” The messenger swallowed. “Yozom, twenty-five years old. I serve as a junior port guard. My cultivation is at the late Fanren realm.” His shoulders remained tense. Losing a vessel under port protection could cost him his post, his wages, or several years of debt if the harbor officials chose a convenient scapegoat. “Recently, more foreigners have been entering Zguque,” Yozom continued. “Travelers

“He died in war.” The five mages fell silent. Wind struck the hull, ropes groaned against the masts, and the spirit-energy engine pulsed unevenly beneath the deck. For several breaths, those sounds filled the space where Nairu’s threats had been. The younger mage stared at Guo Jiang. “How can someone on Yin Continent know the details of Almaria’s war?” Guo Jiang did not answer immediately. The practical mage looked toward Nairu, hoping their leader would produce an explanation that restored order. Nairu’s shoulders had already begun to sag. His gem-headed staff remained in his hand, but the weapon no longer pointed toward Guo Jiang. The cautious mage descended from the mast one step at a time. “Great Jorah died tragically,” the younger mage said. “He was defeated during the confl