The courtyard still trembled from the explosion, each stone rattling beneath Aurelia’s feet like the echo of thunder. Aurelia was thrown through the air, her small frame slamming against the wall with a sickening crack. Blood stung her lips, metallic and hot. She didn’t scream.Not yet.Through the haze of smoke and swirling dust, she froze.Twisted fragments of Drokhan Stonefist’s armor lay scattered across the courtyard, bent and broken like statues caught in the middle of a collapse. Her heart raced, tangled with fear and something darker, something almost thrilling.She was alive.Terrifyingly alive.From the wreckage, Kaelen emerged. His white robe hung in tatters, its edges singed, yet he moved as though he had not been touched. Calm. Terrifyingly calm.A bronze sheen covered his skin, hair, and even his eyes.The Bronze Battle Form had made him virtually untouchable.He strode forward as though Drokhan Stonefist had never existed.Ninth-level True Martial stage at best?Pathetic

The village in the Great Wasteland was nothing but rubble. Smoke spiraled from shattered roofs, while the earth lay scorched and cracked beneath the carnage. A suffocating silence hung in the air, the kind that made the survivors freeze in place, their hearts pounding.Serenya’s jade-like face went pale. The truth struck her like a dagger.This wasn’t an accident.The Sword Sect elders’ warnings echoed in her mind: confront the Crimson Veil Sect’s demons without hesitation, show no mercy, or die.“Hehehe... just as your precious leader predicted,” a voice slithered through the wreckage, mocking and cruel. “The scent of blood... intoxicating. And now, the ultimate prize: a human master! But you? Mere appetizers for the Great Demon Lord!”Caius Thorne’s eyes narrowed.“A trap!” he shouted, but it was already too late.The ground shuddered violently. Streams of blood-red light shot into the sky, weaving together into a massive, pulsating formation that trapped everyone inside.“A... a dem

The demonic shadow shuddered. Its overwhelming might was finally faltering. The strike that had nearly shattered the Demon Sovereign's mark had drained it completely. It could no longer pursue Kaelen with lethal intent. One last roar echoed across the wilderness, carrying both a promise and a threat:“Human brat... I remember your aura. The next time we meet, I will erase you completely.”Far across the Desolate Expanse, Kaelen ran, bloodied and battered, teetering on the edge of collapse. His clothes were torn, his hair matted with sweat and blood, and his body trembled from his injuries. Distance meant nothing to him. All that mattered was putting as much space as possible between himself and the shadow that sought his life.Time blurred. His muscles screamed and his lungs burned. He ran purely on instinct. Eventually, his body gave out. His limbs collapsed, and his vision blurred. The last thing he saw before darkness swallowed him was the faint outline of a village, smoke curling f

Kaelen stood there, calm as stone, watching the demons that still lingered outside Celestial Arrow Village.“The Demon Blood Sect… all talk, isn’t it?” he said, almost lazily, like he was bored with the whole thing.“You…!” one of the demons snarled, rage twisting his face.“Leader, let me handle this one!” A huge demon, Ninth Heaven of the Martial Spirit Tier, stepped forward. He gripped a black war spear, and the air around him thickened with killing intent. Without another word, he lunged like a bolt of dark lightning.Whoosh! The spear cut through the air with a shriek that made the villagers flinch.Clang! Kaelen didn’t even dodge. He just lifted his hand—bronze-colored, unshakable—and pinched the spear mid-strike. The impact echoed, but he stood unmoving, like the weapon had slammed into a mountain instead of flesh.“What?!” the demon stammered, his confidence cracking.He tried to pull back, but Kaelen was faster. One sharp palm strike—and the demon’s skull shattered like glass.

The fire in the tavern’s hearth crackled softly, sending jittering shadows across the wooden beams. Outside, snow lashed against the windows like white knives, silencing the streets and muffling every footstep. Inside, two figures sat across from each other. One young, sharp-eyed, with robes pure white despite a long journey. The other—scarred face, hands tough as old leather—clutched a wine cup like a seasoned butcher.Kaelen hunched over the map, eyes scanning every line, every cryptic symbol. His lips pressed tight, brows drawn.“Don’t bother me,” he murmured, without even looking up.Scar-faced Uncle just shrugged, tilting the wine cup back in one long gulp. “All right. Take your time. I’ll wait.”Three days passed. Kaelen poured himself into the labyrinth of Heavenly Demon City: twisted alleys, hidden passages, symbols only a master could decode. By the second afternoon, he finally leaned back and let the map lie forgotten on the table.The older man stared, disbelief etched into