With a single palm strike, Stanley smashed the wheelchair in front of him into pieces. Chantelle gasped and stumbled backward in fear. Then, Stanley's body expanded, swelling with raw power as a brutal energy radiated off him. As the sound of tearing flesh echoed through the air, pain twisted across his face. His fists clenched tight, and his frame swelled again, growing broader and more bear-like by the second. His shirt split open at the seams, shredded completely by the violent bulge of his muscles. Tiana had initially intended to charge straight into the man-made lake to support Andrew. However, she was forced to stop and pivot, stepping before Chantelle to shield her. With a fierce roar, she punched through the air straight at Stanley. Tiana's strike carried the devastating might of a martial king and slammed directly into Stanley's forehead. If it were any regular martial artist, their skull would have been crushed. Yet, Stanley did not even budge an inch. He smir

Mosby gritted his teeth and barked, "Andrew, we still hold the upper hand! The Elixir of Immortality will never fall into your hands—not while I'm still standing!" With that, he forced down a deep breath and resumed the assault alongside Grand Viper. Grand Viper's face was dark with intensity as he growled, "Andrew, your martial talent is terrifying; I'd say it's the best I've seen in my lifetime! In another time and place, I never would've made an enemy of someone like you. "But today is different. For the Elixir of Immortality and to eliminate any future threat, you have to die. Only then can I find peace for the rest of my life!" He unleashed his deadliest technique without hesitation, releasing the massive snake coiled on his shoulder. Grand Viper was originally from the southern frontier martial arts community of Holtrien. Martial artists from that region were particularly skilled at using various snakes, insects, and venomous creatures to kill their enemies. Moreover

Andrew said, "Anyone who didn't know better would think you came here to pay your respects and visit his spirit. But in reality, after a hundred years, the little emperor's childhood friend has become nothing more than a greedy coward who fears death above all else." His voice dripped with contempt as he continued his verbal assault. "You want to steal your childhood friend's burial treasures, you want his precious belongings, and you want to wreck his tomb. Stanley, you foreigners are just like your so-called ancestors who invaded Holtrien back then—hypocritical, putting on false airs, and shamelessly greedy!" Andrew's words caused the smile on Stanley's face to fade bit by bit until his expression turned dark and menacing. He hissed, "I just don't want to die—I want to extend my life! Is it wrong for a person to fear death and desire immortality?" Andrew scoffed coldly in response. "Everyone in the world clings to life and fears death, and I'm no exception! But I would never

Stanley's brow furrowed. "Andrew, what's that supposed to mean? Are you saying I made all this up?" Andrew turned his eyes toward the other end of the crypt, where the royal throne stood. "Why don't we let your Little Emperor friend explain it himself—and see if you're the one telling stories?" The puppet seated on the throne had somehow stood up. Its decapitated wooden head, which had been blasted off during the earlier gunfire, was now fully reattached. A raspy, grinding voice scraped through the air, like rusted metal scraping against steel."Stanley, we meet again." The puppet, carved entirely from wood, had no facial muscles. Yet somehow, at that moment, Andrew could swear its face came alive. It stared at Stanley with a gaze so filled with hatred and bitterness that it could curdle blood. Stanley froze, his entire expression locking in place. He stammered, "H-How is this possible? No! It's impossible! You've been dead for 100 years! You can't be alive—you can't!" Hi

Chantelle snapped, "This foreign bastard has to die! Only then will this nightmare end." Andrew's eyes went ice-cold as he stared at Stanley. "From the beginning, I never believed a word that came out of your mouth—not a single one. I had no proof, but my gut told me you couldn't be trusted. "A damned man who refuses to die, coming back after 100 years to rob his friend's grave while pretending to grieve, wearing that fake look of mercy. Stanley, I was right—you're no different than the colonizers who came before you! "A hypocrite, despicable to the core. At your roots, you're no better than a savage beast—only here to plunder, never to understand or respect. But there's one difference now—back in the days of the Fallen Crimson Dynasty, our ancestors were fooled and slaughtered by men like you. "Today? I, and the proud people of Etharia, are no longer your helpless lambs!" With those words, Andrew let out a guttural roar and suddenly kicked off from where he stood, shooting