Arden Thane, the Sect Master of the Ghost King Sect, was also Kiera Thane’s father.Ignoring the three elders of the Blood Sea Sect, Arden Thane’s piercing gaze settled on the young man before him. “You come from the Draven family?”“Level Six Draven Family of Emberfall Town,” Kael Draven replied steadily. The Draven family had countless branches, ranked from Level One to Level Nine. A Level Six branch? Practically insignificant in the grand scale of things.“Not bad,” Arden Thane said, a faint warmth breaking through his stern expression. “Kiera Thane told me she liked you. At first, I was worried… but seeing you now, I’ve already given my approval.”“Thank you, Father,” Kael Draven said, bowing slightly.Arden Thane let out a long sigh, shaking his head. “Just one daughter… and what a headache she is.”Watching the father and daughter exchange smiles, Gavin Frost and his companions were boiling with rage. Yet, bound by the sheer power of the Ghost King Sect, they dared not act. Stil

Inside the Dragon Seal’s space, the air was heavy with spiritual energy, humming like it had a life of its own.“Eldric,” Kael Draven asked, voice calm but edged with urgency, “is there any way to forge powerful Soul Slaves for my family?”Eldric hesitated, then shook his head. “Master… I understand what you want, but it’s impossible.”Kael Draven frowned.After a pause, Eldric added, “Master… within the Blood Pool, you can create Soul Slaves. But there’s another option. Corpse Slaves. They’re weaker than Soul Slaves, yes, but they can operate outside the Seal.”Hope flared in Kael Draven’s chest. It didn’t matter whether they were Soul or Corpse Slaves. What mattered was that they could exist beyond the Seal.“Eldric,” he said eagerly, “how long would it take to convert my existing Soul Slaves into Corpse Slaves?”Eldric’s expression darkened. “You misunderstood, Master. Corpse Slaves require corpses, not souls. I cannot work with the Soul Slaves you already have.”Corpses? Not souls

Kael Draven froze for a second.He hadn’t expected Samuel Jaxon to make that kind of offer—and honestly, he didn’t even know how to respond. Could he really say yes? The answer hit him almost immediately: no.A flicker of apology crossed his face as he said quietly but firmly, “Hall Master, I believe you. But… I’m sorry. I can’t join the Thunder Guardian Hall.”He half-expected Samuel Jaxon to get angry, maybe even offended. Instead, the man just smiled, calm and unbothered. “I understand,” Samuel Jaxon said, almost as if he’d seen that coming from the start.Before Kael Draven could reply, Kevin Thales finally spoke up. The emperor had been silent until now, his expression unreadable. “Kael Draven, we know your situation. We won’t push you. And as for Brevin’s behavior earlier—I’ve already disciplined him.”Kael Draven’s face didn’t change, but inside, the name Brevin Thales still made his blood stir. Even so, seeing Kevin Thales’s sincerity, he let it go. Picking a fight with the em

Kael Draven had named two conditions, but really, they were the same—and he wanted them fulfilled right now.“Allen Draven,” he said, voice calm and steady, “my condition’s simple. I’ll kill Mathias Draven for you. In return, you’ll give me one thousand Soaring Dragon Pills.”“What?”Allen Draven stared at him, almost laughing. Surely he’d misheard.“Kael Draven, are you out of your mind?” he snapped, in disbelief and twisting his expression. “A thousand Soaring Dragon Pills? Do you think I’m made of them? Even a royal family couldn’t scrape that many together!”His voice shook with anger. The demand was ridiculous. Unreal.But Kael Draven didn’t even blink. His tone stayed cool, almost detached.“Remember, Allen Draven—you came to me. Not the other way around. One thousand Soaring Dragon Pills. Not one less.”Before Allen could fire back, Kael Draven continued, “With that many, I can break through to the Unity Realm. And once I reach that level, killing Mathias Draven won’t be a prob

“Mathias Draven?”Kael Draven’s eyes landed on the spring Allen Draven mentioned, and a faint smirk tugged at his lips. Cold. Almost mocking.He didn’t say a word.Then came the sound of Kevin Thales clearing his throat. Twice. “Ahem… ahem.” He looked around the hall and spoke, his voice firm and weighty.“All of you here are the backbone of the Thunder Empire. As our chosen representatives in the Two-Empire Contest, I trust you’ll bring back glory and victory.”Twenty warriors stood there. Every single one is a Unity Realm cultivator. Everyone… except Kael Draven.He was the odd one out — a Fusion Realm warrior standing among elites.The others didn’t bother hiding their disdain. You could see it in the way they looked at him, like he didn’t belong. But no one dared speak their mind, not with Kevin Thales standing right there.“Everyone,” Kevin Thales went on, “the Flame Empire’s envoys will arrive soon. Come with me. We’ll greet them properly.”The contest rotated between empires ea