*****The moment the voice echoed through the air, even Helen… completely lost to fury now and drowning in bloodlust, couldn’t help but freeze mid-motion.It was as though an invisible hand had clamped around her throat.Before she even realized it, her raging momentum stalled, her blazing eyes flickering as clarity forced its way back in.Then, for the first time since she had erupted from her chamber, something other than rage registered on her face… fear.And just at that very instant, the space directly before her warped, appearing as though reality itself had decided to politely step aside.And from that distortion, pure darkness… thick and suffocating, seeped out, swallowing light as if it had never existed.Witnessing it, the surrounding elders instinctively recoiled, their instincts screaming danger before their minds could even catch up.In the next breath, a figure emerged from within the darkness, drifting forward slowly and unhurried, cloaked entirely in black ener

*****Nearly all the elders flinched upon hearing their Patriarch’s command, disappointment flickering across their faces.All of them are really burning with curiosity now, filled with questions begging to be asked… but none of them dared speak.“You should also prepare for the backlash,” the Patriarch continued, his voice unhurried and merciless. “And the inevitable rank regression.”With this… the hall once again shifted, pity thickening the air.Every gaze turned toward Helen, heavier now, sharper, and laced with something uncomfortably close to relief that it wasn’t them.Helen, on the other hand, trembled harder. Her lips parted as if she wanted to protest, to scream, or to deny reality itself…But she never got the chance.“When you are healed,” the Patriarch went on, his tone suddenly darkening, the temperature in the hall plummeting, “I will assign an elder to accompany you for revenge.”His aura pulsed, making several elders shudder instinctively, covered in a cold

*****Back in the main world… Riverton City, still inside the small, quiet villa…Achiiin!!!Xavier, who had been standing beside the bed for a long while, suddenly sneezed hard, the sharp sound snapping through the room and making him rub the bridge of his nose in mild irritation.But then… he froze, not reacting for a moment.In the following second, however, his brows drew together sharply, his casual posture tightening as something unseen brushed against his instincts like cold fingers down his spine.“Is that…” he muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing.A strange, suffocating sensation pressed against his chest.For a fleeting moment, it felt as though something distant… yet unmistakably hostile had locked onto him.‘Danger…?’His gaze shifted slightly, unfocused, as his mind instinctively scanned every possible direction.“Did I just…” he paused, frowning deeper. “Did I suddenly feel like something dangerous was coming for me?”The feeling wasn’t vague or a me

*****Thud!!!!A sound suddenly echoed through the room, heavy and absolute.It came from Sage Myron’s knees slamming into the ground with such force that even the floor seemed to shake.Then, almost instantly… before anyone could react or process what had just happened, his forehead struck the ground as well.“Sir…” he began, his voice breaking apart, trembling so badly that it barely held together. “I know… I know I was disrespectful and rude. I… I also know I had overstepped and offended you today.”His shoulders shook violently.“You may punish me however you wish,” he continued, his teeth clenched as tears fell freely now. “I will accept it without complaint or resistance.”A tear splashed onto the floor, then another.“But…” His voice cracked completely. “…please allow me to thank you first.”Finished uttering this… the old man, as though something inside him snapped, prostrated completely.His chest dropped flat to the ground, his arms extended, his legs straight, an

*****At this moment, Sage Myron appeared like a father who had failed… like a man who had miscalculated once but paid for it with an entire lifetime.The sight made the room fall so quiet that even breathing felt intrusive.But then…“You shouldn’t blame yourself,” Xavier’s voice, calm, casual, and almost indifferent, suddenly drifted through the silence.“This…” The old man’s head snapped up almost immediately, his mouth opening, ready to argue and shoulder the guilt like a punishment he deserved.But Xavier didn’t allow it. Instead;“Even if you had acted immediately,” he said evenly, speaking factually without mincing his words, “it wouldn’t have changed anything.”“Back then, not even I would have detected that he had already been transformed into a cultivation vessel.”The words hit like a hammer, making Sage Myron’s mouth fall open slightly. But Xavier wasn’t done.“The only reason I discovered it this time,” he continued, glancing at the unconscious figure on the bed