Darius and Liang both stiffened, eyes widening. For a split second, they thought Kai’s arm had finally given out under the overwhelming force of his own attack. Darius even took a half-step forward, ready to intervene before the fool snapped his own bones apart. But then the sound of cracking turned into something else and it was something unnatural. The faint golden light running across Kai’s arm shimmered, and before their disbelieving eyes, the twisted flesh and bruised bones straightened themselves. The fractures healed instantly, smoothly, as though the damage had never been there. His veins pulsed faintly gold, and the wounds sealed shut like the heat of the lava itself was flowing through his bloodstream. “What the...?” Liang breathed, his jaw dropping. “He just... he just healed that?” Darius let out a low whistle, grinning despite the shock. “Hah… so that’s what the old man’s been teaching him. That’s not body cultivation anymore... that’s cheating.” Kai didn’t respond

The forest grew darker as they pressed on, shadows stretching long and restless beneath the canopy. The air had changed, it was heavier now, even quieter. Even the birds had gone silent, and that alone was enough to make Darius’ instincts flare.They were halfway through a narrow path when movement flickered to their left. Leaves rustled, boots crunched over fallen branches and then, emerging from between the trees, came Wei and his group.The moment Kai saw him, his expression cooled. Wei, on the other hand, looked far too relaxed, his lips curving into that smug grin Kai had come to dislike. The man’s robe was spotless despite the bloody forest trail, his team following closely behind him, carrying beast parts in sealed sacks.“Well, well,” Wei drawled, folding his arms as his sharp eyes swept over them, pausing for just a moment on Abigail before locking onto Kai. “Didn’t expect to see the Grand Elder’s golden boy out here on this path so soon. Looks like someone’s been getting com

Another blast from Kai’s halberd shook the clearing, dust and broken roots flying everywhere but when the light faded, the beast still stood. It staggered a step, smoke rising off its scales, yet there wasn’t a single wound on its body. Only a faint scorch mark that vanished as its skin pulsed with energy again.Kai’s breath came out ragged. No damage?Before the beast could recover, Darius blurred past him. “Step back!”His sword gleamed like a bolt of lightning, and with one clean motion he sliced through the creature’s neck. The head fell with a heavy thud that made the ground tremble. Black blood sprayed into the air as the beast’s body twitched and went still.But there was no time to breathe.From the distance, two more monstrous shapes crashed through the treeline, their roars shaking the heavens. The ground split beneath their steps, and the pressure from their combined auras made the air ripple.“Two more ...Void Infant Realm!” Liang cursed, spinning around. He cut down a wav

When they finally arrived at the sect gates, the golden insignia of the mountain peaks rising behind the mist felt like a long-awaited sight of home. Everyone most especially Kai's group, looked drained, clothes torn, faces pale, Qi depleted and yet the air around them was heavier than exhaustion. It carried the silent understanding that what had happened in the forest would not be forgotten easily.As the disciples dispersed toward their respective peaks, Kai paused when a disciple came running down the stone steps,“Brother Kai,” the boy said between breaths, “the Grand Elder asked for you and is waiting for you.”Kai’s brow lifted. “Waiting for me?”“Yes, he said it was urgent.”Kai gave a curt nod, glanced once at Darius and Abigail, both of whom waved him off tiredly and immediately turned toward the towering stairway leading up the mountain. His pace quickened the higher he climbed, his heartbeat echoing faintly with every step.The mountain air was cool and still, broken only b

Two months passed in a blur. Time lost its meaning in the endless roar of molten fire and the rhythm of Kai’s steady heartbeats echoing through the Lavare region. The disciples who once whispered about the screams from the depths no longer did because Kai no longer screamed. The agony had been replaced by silence.Deep within the inferno, the figure that once howled in pain now stood unmoving. His skeleton no longer gleamed gold. It shimmered a translucent brilliance like crystalized light. The bones were no longer metal… they had evolved into something far beyond mortal comprehension. Diamond bones.When Kai finally opened his eyes, flames danced within his sockets, the reflection of the molten sea below him. Slowly, he clenched his fists, and the air trembled. Even the lava reacted, rippling outward from the sheer density of power rolling off him. A faint grin curved his lips.He whispered softly to himself, his voice rough but steady, “Diamond bones… finally.”According to the Eter