The roar gradually faded.But the pressure descending from the sky only grew heavier. Waves of force swept across the area like a collapsing mountain. Low-level practitioners who stood too close were instantly crushed, their bodies exploding into clouds of blood before they could even scream.Only Javon remained standing, unmoved.The newcomer hovered in the air. His aura was at the sixth level of the Nascent Soul Stage, pure, stable, without the aid of any secret technique. Their gazes met.The old man wore a military officer’s uniform from the Javana war era. On his chest and cap gleamed a still-polished national emblem. The moment Javon saw that symbol, fury surged within him.“That’s the former king!”“Wasn’t he dying years ago?”“Get back! They’re going to fight!”The remaining experts retreated immediately. No one dared approach.The old man’s face was cold, sharp as a blade.Dravaryn.He extended his hand.Arken’s lifeless body rose and was drawn into his grasp. When he realize

They all knew the answer.If Dravaryn survived and recovered, retaliation would come. And perhaps one of them would be made an example.Raviel suddenly erupted. “I’ll kill you!”His hand shot toward Dravaryn’s throat.But Javon’s voice stopped him. “Wait.”Raviel froze.“I might be able to remove the poison,” Javon Forger said. “But before that, I have a few questions.”Raviel’s eyes widened. “Truly?”“I was just struck by his poison myself. And I’m fine now.”It was true. The toxic mist had already been completely purged by his true qi.Doubt flickered across Raviel’s face.Behind him, the family heads exchanged uneasy glances.“What if he’s lying?”“We’re all poisoned. We can’t act recklessly.”But Raviel slowly shook his head. “We’ve lived like this for decades. If there is even a sliver of hope, we must try.”He looked at Dravaryn with burning hatred. “And even if he truly had an antidote, do you think he would ever give it to us?”No one answered. The desert wind swept through th

Javon nodded. “How many times does the poison flare up in a day?”“Twenty times, at minimum,” Raviel replied. “We must always be ready to suppress it with true qi. If we lose focus even slightly, even a Celestial expert could die within a few breaths.”That was not life, it was torture. A ticking time bomb detonating twenty times a day. Normally the poison was not strong enough to kill practitioners above the Nascent Soul Stage.But when it erupted fully, even a Celestial could collapse instantly.The night wind drifted through the hall windows. And now, for the first time, there was a chance they might break free from those invisible chains. Their fate rested in the hands of one man.Javon had just begun to circulate his true qi when sudden pain spread through his entire body. It felt as though his meridians were being torn apart one by one. His bones creaked faintly and his dantian trembled.The side effects of Horizon Abyss had finally come to collect their price.“Master Forger, y

The palace stood again, stronger than before.The old nobles and all bloodlines of Javana had been detained. The old chain of power had been broken, yet the poison they left behind had not completely vanished from the city.“Master Forger,” Raviel said quietly, “we have spread the truth about the Holy Water. But too many citizens have already been ruined by the Sacred Medicine.”Hundreds of thousands of people. That number was not just a statistic, it was nearly an entire generation lost.Javon merely shrugged. “That kind of problem isn’t my concern. You rule now.”He had already refused the offer to help govern the city. Managing administration, taxes, or food distribution held no interest for him.Morric stepped forward. “There are seven hundred fifty-one descendants of Dravaryn in custody. What is your decision?”The room fell silent instantly.Seven hundred fifty-one. Enough to alter the bloodline composition of the entire city.Raviel did not answer immediately. Instead, his gaze

Meanwhile, the three Celestial cultivators who had been chasing Zerekh trembled as they watched the situation unfold.Without saying a word, the burly man standing in front turned around and fled immediately. The other two did the same.But they did not escape together. The three scattered in different directions, clearly hoping Javon would not be able to pursue them all.Seeing this, Javon turned to Zerekh. “Stay here.”His tone was flat. “If you try to run, I’ll kill you even if you hide at the ends of the world.”After saying that, his body vanished from where he stood.The old man who had been guiding him stared blankly. He had not expected this young man to actually be at the Celestial Stage.A few minutes later, the wind stirred.Javon’s figure reappeared. In his hands were three lifeless bodies.THUD! THUD! THUD!The corpses were thrown onto the ground before Zerekh.“Now,” Javon Forger said calmly, “hand it over.”Zerekh did not respond immediately. He walked closer and remove