The air vibrated, thick with raw, suffocating energy. From the black pit beneath the colossal stele, the skeletal white hand stretched wider and wider, swallowing the remaining light. The ground groaned under its weight, and the shadows around Kaelen and Luthien Aris thickened, curling like a living, suffocating blanket.“Netherworld Demonic Art!”Luthien’s voice rang sharp and commanding, slicing through the tension. The seal within her shattered, unleashing a terrifying demonic aura that twisted the very air. Even a Martial Emperor would hesitate at such power. Around her, an enormous phantom rose—a guardian of shadow and flame, towering over a thousand meters, radiating menace and divine authority all at once.The phantom struck the monstrous white hand. Tremors rolled through the cavern. From the pit came a cruel, mocking laugh, dripping with ancient malice.“Heh heh heh… little human girl,” the voice sneered. “A powerful seal lies within you. Amusing. But meaningless. Your pitifu

Kaelen’s heart pounded. The Primordial Stele before him trembled violently, each shiver resonating like the footsteps of some colossal, ancient being. Then light erupted—not just ordinary light, but a radiant, divine glow that made the air itself pulse with energy. He couldn’t hear the voices of the ancient sages inside, but their awakening was undeniable. The stele felt alive, as if speaking in a language older than time itself.“What… is happening?” Kaelen murmured, barely audible over the deep hum of the stone. Every nerve tingled as the golden divine core in his mind stirred. Subtle at first, like a whisper brushing his consciousness—but it carried the weight of worlds. The core that had lain dormant since his rebirth—never stirring, not even in mortal peril—now pulsed with life.Luthien Aris’s sapphire eyes widened, reflecting the blinding light. “It… it actually reacted?” Her voice trembled, awe and fear mixed. The tremor beneath her feet felt like millennia echoing through the

Time had a way of slipping past unnoticed, like a hawk casting a fleeting shadow over the wastelands. Before Kaelen even realized it, the third day had arrived. The yellow plains stretched endlessly under the blazing sun—barren, merciless—but in the distance, the Guardian Elder descended once more. White hair shimmering like frost, he stepped with the calm precision of someone who had seen centuries pass.Yet even his serene demeanor faltered at the sight before him. The Dragon Transformation Pool—once teeming with divine energy—now lay drained, crystal clear and lifeless. His sharp gaze swept over the three young disciples standing before him. Calm on the surface, yes, but beneath, a storm of restrained fury and concern flickered in his eyes.“What… has happened here?” His voice, deep and resonant, rolled across the wasteland, carrying centuries of authority.For the Sword Sect, this sudden loss of divine energy was catastrophic—a lightning strike from a cloudless sky. It could unrav

Kaelen’s expression was calm—almost unnervingly calm. The faint glow of his golden eyes cut through the dim candlelight, reflecting a mind sharp and unyielding. He inclined his head slightly, his voice calm but carrying undeniable authority. “Patriarch Valehart, explain everything. I want to understand what’s been happening here—every detail.”Valehart Hai exhaled slowly, chest rising and falling with exhaustion and dread. “Honored master from the Sword Sect… this has tormented our family for over half a month. Every night, when the clock strikes midnight, a corpse appears in a single courtyard of our estate. Just one courtyard… one room.”Kaelen’s eyes narrowed. A flicker of interest crossed his otherwise composed face. “Only one courtyard? Only one room?” he repeated, calm but probing.“That’s correct,” Valehart Hai admitted, his proud demeanor cracking under fear. “The bodies… always direct descendants of the Valehart Family. Each dawn brings another death—more gruesome than the la

“Buzz!”“Dark Soul!”The black-robed figure moved like a living shadow—fast, silent, utterly relentless. There was no hesitation, no warning. He hovered in midair, ethereal, almost ghostlike. And then, with a single hand, he pressed downward toward Kaelen, as if trying to crush him through the very air itself.For a heartbeat, the world seemed to freeze. The sky hung still. The earth itself seemed to pause, eerily calm. Yet in that frozen instant, Kaelen could feel it—the raw, mortal peril clawing at his soul.Buzz!An invisible force tore through him, cold and merciless. It was like a phantom hand, slicing, suffocating, ripping. Alien. Unrelenting. Terrifying beyond comprehension.Boom!Kaelen’s body shuddered violently. His black hair whitened in an instant, like frost had claimed him. His soul had taken a direct hit, bypassing flesh, shattering his mind.The path of a Soul Master… it was something mortals could never understand. They killed without touching, bypassing the body enti