A mile to the north, within a bamboo grove choked with silver fog, nine cultivators dressed in elegant white-and-pink robes moved in a synchronized, defensive formation.They were elite disciples from the Plum Blossom Sect—one of the Six Great Righteous Sects of the righteous path—led by a stern, cold-faced female senior disciple named Sister Lin."Keep your senses sharp," Sister Lin instructed, her hand resting on the hilt of her ice-tempered rapier. "The spiritual herbs in this grove might be guarded by native beasts, but do not drop your guard against rogue ambushers either."SWISH.Out of the dense bamboo, a solitary figure stepped calmly onto the path ahead of them, blocking their way.The Plum Blossom disciples instantly drew their weapons, seven swords clearing their sheaths in a collective, metallic ring."Who goes there?!" Sister Lin barked, stepping forward.Recognizing the dark coat and serene golden eyes, her brow furrowed. "Alistair Reid... the rogue who shattered the Obs

Several disciples from the Thunderclap Pavilion rushed toward the barrier's edge, furiously hacking at the crimson light with their thunder-infused weapons.BANG! BANG!The strikes rebounded violently.Their spirit blades shattered into glowing splinters, and the sheer recoil blasted the disciples backward, leaving them sprawling on the flagstones with burnt, bloodied palms."It's a sealing array! A high-tier spatial killing formation!" Sister Lin yelled, her icy composure completely shattering as she backed away from the perimeter.She turned toward the altar, her sword trembling in her grip. "Lady Violetta! What is the meaning of this?! We are disciples of the Six Great Righteous Sects! Does the Ramos family intend to declare war on the entire cultivation world?!"Violetta didn't even look at Sister Lin.Her gaze remained fixed solely on Alistair atop the stone balustrade."Righteous sects, rogue stray dogs... to the ancient altar beneath our feet, your titles mean nothing," Violett

The knees of the Cultivators buckled instantly, slamming into the stone flagstones with enough force to crack the rock, pinning all three men face-down, immobile and paralyzed from the neck down, yet entirely unharmed."Insolent... pest!" Sister Lin shrieked, her voice cracking into an unearthly, screeching register as the Succubus charm twisted her soul.She threw her upper body forward, attempting to sink her teeth into Alistair's neck.Alistair caught her by the forehead with his palm, holding her at arm's length as she clawed rabidly at the air."A soul puppet charm anchored to the blood essence..." Alistair murmured, his golden eyes narrowing as he observed the black, vein-like lines spiderwebbing across her neck and cheeks. "To break it directly would require shattering her mental sea entirely, leaving her a brain-dead husk."RUMBLE!A deafening roar erupted from the six obsidian pillars.Across the plaza, the mass suicide had reached its horrific crescendo.Over forty cultivato

CLANG!A metallic ring, pure and resonant like a divine bell tolling from the highest heavens, vibrated through the atmosphere.A golden light erupted from Alistair’s skin—not harsh, nor blinding, but thick, solid, and absolute.His fair skin turned into flawless, translucent gold, etched with ancient, primordial dao-marks that predated the creation of the mortal realm.His hair floated as if weightless, and his golden pupils expanded, turning into twin pools of pure cosmic law.The Golden Immortal Body.CRASH! BANG! BOOM!The million blood blades struck Alistair’s form simultaneously.The resulting explosion turned the sunken stone plaza into a crater hundreds of feet deep, the thermal energy vaporizing the stone into glowing, white-hot magma.The sky split open, and the sea around Beverly Island retreated for miles from the sheer displacement of energy.High above the crater, Ramos Vael panted heavily, his blood-dripping wings flapping slowly as he stared down into the smoke. "Haha

Violetta traced the heavy iron chains binding the glass."So, he betrayed her," Violetta whispered. "He used the wealth and arrays the devil had taught him to forge these sealing chains, burying the mirror deep beneath the island so no one could ever find it. But a Supreme Devil's pact is not so easily broken. Before her voice was silenced, she laid a grand blood curse upon Ramos Vael and his entire bloodline."Alistair looked toward the surface, understanding settling in his golden eyes. "The fifty-year limit.""Precisely," Violetta confirmed, her eyes sparkling with cold satisfaction. "Every descendant of the Ramos line who reaches fifty years of age suffers a gruesome, agonizing death, their soul pulled directly into the Hell Realm to be tortured for eternity. It is why Patriarch Ramos fell suddenly and inexplicably ill a few months ago—he had reached his fiftieth year, and the curse was coming to collect."She stepped closer to the pedestal, her crimson mantle brushing against the