On the way back through the shelter, Kaelen Viremont casually checked the storage ring he had taken from Gu Tianya.And honestly… the difference was obvious.Wealth really does speak louder than status sometimes.Gu Tianya was one of the top geniuses of the Lieyan Dynasty, part of those so-called “super dynasties.” Someone like that didn’t just carry pockets full of coins—his resources were on a completely different level.Even a glance made that clear.Inside the ring were several thousand low-grade Saint Stones. Along with that, a bunch of weapons, rare materials, and items that all carried faint traces of powerful energy.Then Kaelen’s attention stopped on something in particular.A golden rope.It looked… almost ordinary at first. Nothing flashy. But the energy inside it was tightly compressed, like something dangerous just waiting to be unleashed.Shang’s voice popped up in his mind.“Hm… Spirit Binding Rope. It’s only an imitation of a Saint-tier weapon, but it’s well-refined. A

“Alright, alright! I’ll talk! Just stop hitting me already!”The big yellow dog finally caved in, sounding genuinely annoyed now. It shook itself a couple of times like it was trying to reset its dignity, then—somehow—its expression actually turned serious.Yeah… serious. On a dog.It leaned closer to Kaelen Viremont and lowered its voice.“Kid, I can tell you’re not normal, so I’ll tell you something important. There’s a rumor… no, not even just a rumor. Something real. In this extraterritorial battlefield, there’s an ancient existence called the Longevity Tree.”Kaelen’s eyes narrowed slightly.The dog continued, not stopping.“This tree doesn’t grow like normal spiritual plants. It feeds on something way more disgusting… the blood and essence of fallen geniuses in this battlefield. All of them become its nourishment. And now… It’s said to be reaching maturity.”Kaelen paused for a second.Then asked casually, “Longevity Tree? You’re saying it grows by eating dead geniuses?”His ton

“Beast tide attacking the city!”The warning cut through the shelter like lightning, ripping across the night sky.In just a heartbeat, everyone who had been asleep was awake.“Beast tide? Attacking the city?”“How many of them are there?!”“Move! All of you—get to the city gate!”Confusion hit first. Then panic. And quickly, that turned into full-on urgency.People rushed out from every direction of the shelter, all heading toward the same place—the massive city gates.Kaelen Viremont was among them.His expression stayed calm, but sharp. Focused.Beside him, the big yellow dog wasn’t joking anymore either. Its ears were slightly raised, eyes fixed on the distance, as if it had sensed something off.When they finally reached the gate, everyone stopped.Just… froze.The night was fading, slowly giving way to a thin strip of dawn breaking through the sky. But what waited beyond that fragile light—wasn’t morning.It was hell.Out in the endless wilderness, the ground itself was moving.

The big yellow dog’s voice came through the chaos, loud and casual as always—and somehow, just hearing it lifted Kaelen Viremont’s mood a little.Strange thing was… he’d already learned something by now. That ridiculous dog? It wasn’t normal. Not even close. Its background was a mystery, and its knowledge felt even deeper. Every time it spoke so lightly, there was always something hidden underneath.So when it casually mentioned it could teach him the real way to use the Fortune Mark… Kaelen actually felt a rare spark of motivation.And honestly, that wasn’t the only reason.This beast tide? As terrifying as it looked… it was also an opportunity.A rare one.The Extraterritorial Battlefield was never a normal place. These demonic beasts weren’t weak, mindless creatures. No, they were born from this brutal land itself, surviving who-knows-how-many years of slaughter and evolution. Their bodies were packed with dense demonic essence, refined again and again by endless killing.In simple

At that moment, Garrick Stonehart felt a cold shiver crawl down his spine under Kaelen Viremont’s gaze.It wasn’t loud. It wasn’t even aggressive.But somehow… it felt worse than both.Like judgment.Clean. Final. Absolute.Garrick could feel it very clearly.Even though Kaelen’s cultivation was only at the second level of the Divine Ability Realm—far below his own fourth level—that gap suddenly didn’t feel like it mattered anymore.Not here.Not after what had just happened.Because just moments ago, Kaelen had casually swung his sword.No warning. No hesitation. No wasted motion.And that one strike… had erased everything.More than a dozen young prodigies.A lord-level demonic beast.All of them gone, like reality just decided they didn’t belong.Garrick’s throat tightened without him realizing it.That wasn’t something you could explain with “realm” or “cultivation level.”No. That was something else entirely.Something dangerous.Buzz—At the center of the battlefield, a strange