The leader of the sect immediately tried to fight Kai.That was his first mistake.The Sect Master of the Cloud Ridge Sect arrived with the full dignity of a man used to being obeyed. He came standing on a large white cloud condensed from spiritual Qi, his robe fluttering in the wind, his long beard moving gently against his chest while several elders followed behind him with serious expressions. Formation light surrounded the mountain peak, and the disciples kneeling or standing around the stone platform all lowered their heads the moment he appeared, their eyes filled with desperate relief.To them, the Sect Master was the sky of Cloud Ridge Sect.The highest authority.The person who could suppress all trouble.Unfortunately, Kai had spent more than a thousand years being killed by things far more unreasonable than sect masters with beautiful entrance methods.The Sect Master’s eyes swept over the beaten elder lying on the platform, the frozen cultivators still trembling under Abig

Soon enough, they got to the sect.The journey did not take as long as flying toward the Heavenly Capital would have taken, but it was still long enough for Kai to become impatient twice, accuse the clouds of moving too slowly once, and feed the thunder birds out of boredom until Abigail warned him that if another tribulation cloud appeared because of his “snack schedule,” she would let it strike him first. After that, Kai became slightly more disciplined, though he kept muttering that people were too sensitive about nutrition.The Sky Crossing Sect appeared at the edge of a vast mountain range where the land rose in layers, one peak higher than the next, until the tallest mountain pierced through a sea of white clouds. Unlike Cloud Ridge Sect, which felt proud but regional, this sect felt wealthy from a distance. Floating platforms circled the mountains. Golden bridges connected separate peaks. Massive merchant ships hovered near the outer gates, and countless cultivators moved in an

Word of two terrifying outsiders entering the capital spread fast.By evening, half of the Heavenly Capital already knew something had happened at the restricted teleportation hall. Of course, the story changed with every mouth that carried it. Some said two rogue cultivators had broken through the regional teleportation array and forced their way into the capital. Some said a pair of hidden monsters had arrived riding thunder birds from an unknown forbidden land. Some said the array guards had almost attacked, but the captain sensed death and stopped them in time. Others swore that the woman beside the man had only looked at the hall formation once and made the runes go cold.Whatever version people believed, one thing remained the same.The outsiders were dangerous.And because the Heavenly Capital was not a small city ruled by some arrogant regional sect, news like that did not stay loose for long. Messages flew through communication jade slips. Reports were copied and sent upward

The ministers and other dignitaries came out along with the Emperor.From the look of it, court had been in session when Kai and Abigail arrived.The massive doors of the throne hall opened wider, and the people who came out behind the Emperor were not ordinary palace servants or guards. They were ministers in layered court robes, old dignitaries with jade tablets hanging at their waists, military generals in dark armor, clan representatives with proud faces, and imperial advisors whose eyes were sharper than knives. Some still held scrolls in their hands, while others looked like they had been interrupted in the middle of serious debate. Their expressions were annoyed at first, then shocked when they saw the Crown Prince kneeling near a cracked pillar with blood at his lips and his robe torn across the shoulder.The atmosphere outside the throne hall changed immediately.This was no longer just the palace gate.This was the face of the dynasty.These people represented the order of t

After that humiliating display, the Emperor finally conceded.There was no dramatic argument left to make.No minister dared shout and no general dared step forward, and no guard dared tighten his grip around a spear.Even the Crown Prince, who had looked so proud when he first came out of the palace, remained pale and silent near the cracked pillar, his earlier arrogance crushed beneath the reality standing before him. The Dynasty’s strongest elder had made one move. One sky-shattering move. A move famous enough to make the entire central region tremble whenever its name was mentioned.And Kai had caught it barehanded.Not blocked with a divine weapon, dodged or countered with some equally grand technique.He had raised one hand and stopped it like someone catching a falling leaf.That image remained burned into every mind present.The Emperor stood still for a long moment, his face calm but his eyes heavy. He looked at Kai, then Abigail, then the ancient elder whose ashen face had n