Alex Ridge’s scream was sharp enough to make everyone nearby shiver.Clutching his bleeding foot, he stumbled backward in panic while the guards around him stood there looking completely lost, unsure whether they should protect him or hunt down the attacker first.“Who did that?!” he roared, face twisted with fury. “If you’ve got guts, then get the hell out of here!”His eyes swept across the crowd like a mad dog searching for prey. Then he suddenly pointed at everyone around him and shouted crazily, “Kill them all! I refuse to believe that bastard won’t show himself!”The entire street instantly descended into chaos.Kill everyone?The spectators who had gathered to watch hurriedly backed away in terror. Some nearly tripped over themselves trying to escape. After all, nobody wanted to lose their life over something that had nothing to do with them.That was reality.People loved watching excitement unfold… but only when the knife wasn’t pointed at their own throat.Alex Ridge lowered

Deep inside the Draven Family estate, tucked away in a quiet pavilion at the back courtyard, two men sat across from each other. The atmosphere felt heavy, almost suffocating.“Brother Lewis, what brings you here today?”Carson Draven sounded calm enough, but honestly, he’d been in an unusually good mood lately. Ever since Lucius Draven climbed to the top of the Heavenly Ladder, the entire Draven Family had practically been walking around with their heads held high. The celebrations hadn’t stopped for days. As one of the elders, Carson Draven had been too busy enjoying the glory to bother with smaller matters happening around Crimson Cloud City.Especially anything related to Kael Draven.Lewis Ridge could tell there was no point hiding things anymore, so he simply laid everything out. Start to finish. Every detail.The more Carson Draven listened, the uglier his expression became.Truthfully, he knew exactly what kind of person Alex Ridge was. Everyone did. The Draven Family had turn

Dao Ancestor Peak. That alone was enough to explain everything—Lewis Ridge wasn’t weak. Not even close.He stood there with a calm face, but his eyes were sharp as blades. Then he sneered.“Kael Draven, I won’t kill you,” he said slowly. “No… I’ll let my son handle something more interesting. He’ll kick you right there and make sure you understand what it means to have your lineage cut off for good.”Alex Ridge was standing nearby, swaying a little like he could barely keep himself upright. Watching him, Kael Draven almost had a random, absurd thought—Eclipse Manual. Strange timing, but honestly, the guy really did look like he was in the perfect condition to start practicing it.The thought vanished as quickly as it came.Because the mood shifted.Fast.Kael Draven’s complete lack of reaction finally pushed both father and son over the edge.Lewis Ridge moved first.No warning, no buildup. Just a step forward—and he shot out like an arrow fired from a full-drawn bow. Confident. Ruthl

Kael Draven and Arius Ridge stood face to face, neither willing to yield. The air between them felt heavy, almost suffocating, like something invisible was pressing down on the land itself. “I’ll show you,” Arius Ridge said coldly, “just how wide the gap is between a Dao Ancestor and a Venerable.” The moment his voice fell, he moved. His figure blurred forward like a bolt of lightning. Even before he arrived, a crushing pressure surged ahead of him, trying to pin Kael Draven in place. But the next instant— He was forced back. Hard. Arius Ridge’s expression shifted instantly, shock flashing across his face. “Heaven and Earth Aura?” Kael Draven didn’t even flinch. He stood there calmly, as if the pressure meant nothing to him at all. Truth was, unless his opponent also possessed the same level of Heaven and Earth Aura, suppression techniques were useless against him. In terms of momentum alone, he was on an entirely different level. “You’ve got decent eyesight,” Kael Draven s

The instant the seal appeared—and those twelve python corpse slaves rose alongside it—Arius Ridge’s expression finally shifted.Just slightly. But it was there.A crack in that absolute confidence of his.Still, he didn’t move back.That was the problem. Just a moment of hesitation… and it was already too late.The seal shot a beam of light straight into the sky. In the next breath, the twelve corpse slaves started circling it at high speed, weaving something that looked ancient… and deeply unsettling.A dragon’s roar rolled across the heavens.The formation was complete.Kael Draven felt Eldric’s message surge into his mind. Relief flashed through him for a second, quickly followed by pain that he forced down with sheer will.He stopped trading blows with Arius Ridge right away.No point anymore. That part was done.The moment Kael Draven stepped out of the formation, Arius Ridge instinctively tried to withdraw as well.Then he froze.Something invisible had locked onto him.Not press