According to the information Kael Draven had gathered, Edmund Mercer, an elder of Ethereal Palace, almost never left Ethereal City. The one place he visited most frequently was the Brilliant Teahouse, where he would arrive almost without fail every evening around dusk.Kael Draven reached the teahouse ahead of time. After taking a seat and ordering a cup of tea, he called over one of the waiters and said, “I want to reserve the entire place for today.”“No.”The waiter rejected him without the slightest hesitation, then turned and walked away as though Kael Draven were not worth another glance. His attitude hardly resembled that of a servant; if anything, he carried himself more like the owner of the establishment.Under ordinary circumstances, a waiter would usually become far more accommodating the moment enough money appeared before him, but the Brilliant Teahouse was clearly different. Kael Draven was not surprised, however, because he had already guessed the reason behind such ar

After a brutal series of battles, the Four Great Powers—the Royal City in the east, the Third-Level Draven Family in the west, the Netherworld Mansion in the south, and the Ethereal Palace in the north—finally brought their fighting to a temporary halt.From that moment onward, the Nine Provinces were divided among them, with each of the Four Great Powers occupying two Provinces while the Dragon Sect retained control of Celestia. In other words, five major forces now shared the Nine Provinces, although strictly speaking, the region had once again fallen largely into the hands of the Four Great Powers.The fighting had stopped for the moment, but everyone understood that this silence was merely the calm before an even greater storm.The Dragon Sect appeared to have completely abandoned its ambition to dominate the Nine Provinces. It remained quietly within Celestia, neither sending forces outward nor making any public response, and as the days passed, people throughout the region gradu

Kael Draven’s furious shout left every martial artist in Ethereal Palace staring in disbelief.Was he actually cursing at a Divine Path-level existence?The idea seemed absurd. Divine Path martial artists stood at the pinnacle of the Martial Technique Path, supreme beings capable of killing a Half-Saint with almost effortless ease. Yet Kael Draven had not only provoked one—he was openly shouting insults at it while fleeing for his life.“Brat, you’re certainly arrogant. Not bad. Not bad at all.”The more recklessly Kael Draven behaved, the less interested the Water Qilin seemed in attacking Ethereal Palace. Instead, it continued pursuing him at an almost leisurely pace, as though the chase itself amused it.Both Kael Draven and the Water Qilin moved with astonishing speed, and within moments, their figures vanished beyond sight. Only after they were completely gone did the people of Ethereal Palace finally release the breaths they had been holding, secretly thanking their good fortune

The Water Qilin stared blankly at the enormous dragon phantom that had suddenly appeared before it, its vast form stretching ten thousand feet across the heavens. For the first time since the chase began, the Divine Beast was completely terrified.As a member of the Qilin Race, the Water Qilin naturally knew of the Ancient Divine Dragon.In ancient times, an unparalleled expert had risen from the Dragon Clan. That expert was none other than the Ancient Divine Dragon, and it was under his strength and influence that the Dragon Clan had entered an era of unmatched prosperity.Yet everyone knew how that era had ended.Atlas Draven and the Ancient Divine Dragon had challenged the Heavenly Overlord itself, only to be ruthlessly struck down. Atlas Draven had been killed, while the Ancient Divine Dragon had fallen as well.That history was known throughout the world.So how could the Ancient Divine Dragon now be standing before it?Could this enormous dragon phantom be nothing more than an i

The Dragon Sect did not believe the news released by Ethereal Palace in the slightest.That left everyone in Ethereal Palace deeply frustrated. Kael Draven had clearly been pursued by a Divine Path martial artist, so why did no one believe them?If Ethereal Palace had made such a claim a year earlier, ninety-nine out of a hundred people would probably have accepted it without question. But ever since the conflict between Ethereal Palace and Kael Draven had begun, the palace’s reputation had been dragged through the mud again and again. By now, very few people were willing to trust anything they said.Inside Ethereal Palace, the atmosphere had become increasingly tense.“What exactly is going on?”“Elders, we still haven’t discovered the truth. Over the past several days, many of the sect’s most promising disciples have been assassinated. Even some Protectors and elders have failed to escape.”The moment they heard this, Walter Grimshaw and Fabian Garrison’s expressions darkened.Could