The soft clink of ice inside Silas's crystal glass shattered the suffocating silence in the main hall of the Cavendish Castle.Hundreds of Northern Continent aristocrats, who a minute ago had been cheering for Silas's death, were now frozen as still as statues, their faces deathly pale.The Golden Heart aura radiating from the young man on the balcony crushed their lungs, making it difficult for the billionaires and generals to even draw a breath.Lord Cavendish's eyes bulged, the muscles in his aged face twitching violently. "Silas Thorne... Impossible! How did you bypass the perimeter? The five hundred Templar Knights outside—""You mean the ice sculptures in the front yard?" Silas interrupted with a bored tone. He took another sip of his wine. "They were lacking in hospitality. So, I gave them an extended leave of absence."That statement detonated a wave of panic throughout the hall. Five hundred elite, armored cultivators wiped out without triggering a single alarm? What kind of

The colossal bronze gates slid fully open, releasing a wave of warm air scented with expensive cigars, high-end synthetic perfumes, and aged red wine.Silas stepped inside, wiping a single drop of Vane's blood from the tip of his polished leather shoe onto the red velvet carpet at the threshold.Seraphina and Rex followed closely behind him like the looming shadows of the Grim Reaper.The sight behind the gates was utterly magnificent. The ancient catacombs had been transformed into an ultra-luxurious auction theater that seamlessly blended Gothic architecture with the cutting-edge technology of a high-level financial district.Hundreds of aristocrats, underworld tycoons, and Northern Continent elite cultivators sat in semi-circular velvet booths. Hovering in front of them were holographic panels for entering digital bids.In the center of the room, a maroon-suited Auctioneer stood atop a pristine marble stage."Sir, please present your VIP badge," a tuxedo-clad waiter intercepted Sil

The night air of the Aethelgard Mountains felt like thousands of tiny razors slicing against the skin. Yet, as Silas, Seraphina, and Rex stepped out of the secret elevator onto the vast courtyard of the Cavendish Castle, the atmosphere was far from the silence they had left behind.Blinding white light from thousands of energy torches and tactical searchlights converged on them from every direction, turning the midnight snow into a stage of artificial day.In front of them, stretching as far as the eye could see, stood the ranks of three thousand "Inquisitor Knights" from the Northern Continent’s sacred military faction.They were clad in pristine white nano-titanium plates that hummed with a radiant Holy Qi. In the center of the formation stood a gaunt Archbishop in silver robes, clutching an ancient oaken staff that pulsed with power."Silas Thorne!" the Archbishop’s voice boomed, amplified by an energy frequency that made the very air vibrate. "You have stolen a sacred relic of the

The peak of Aethelgard trembled violently. The once-wild blizzard seemed to freeze mid-air, held captive by the collision of two suffocating auras before the Ancient Gate.Commander Vultar stood like an immovable monolith, his obsidian armor reflecting the jagged arcs of blue lightning dancing across the massive warhammer in his hands. With every breath, scorched steam hissed from the vents of his helm, and the permafrost beneath his boots blackened under the sheer intensity of the electrical discharge.As a Half-Saint, Vultar was a living legend, the apex of the military might the Sovereign Council deployed to guard their deepest secrets."Submit or perish, Silas Thorne!" Vultar’s voice was heavy, sounding like the grinding of tectonic plates.Silas didn't answer. He simply stood there, his white dress shirt sleeves neatly rolled up. His eyes, now a deep vermilion with glowing golden pupils, scanned Vultar not as a warrior, but as a flawed medical specimen."Rex, Seraphina. Stay behi

Silas Thorne’s heartbeat echoed like the tolling of a colossal bell within the tomb's hall. With every thrum, a pulse of pure white shockwaves swept across the floor, instantly sealing the cracks in the stone and knitting together the wounds on Rex and Seraphina's bodies."Boss... your aura..." Rex stood up in awe. His damaged bionic arm fused back together, the metal now gleaming with a luster far stronger than its original grade."Three minutes, Nova?" Silas asked. His voice no longer transmitted through his earpiece; instead, it resonated directly within Nova’s communication systems across the ocean."Two minutes and ten seconds, Boss! The Thanatos-1 missile has entered the thermosphere! Speed is Mach 20! There isn't an air defense system on the planet that can touch it!" Nova screamed in a panic.Silas looked toward the ceiling of the hall. His eyes, now a translucent, immaculate white, pierced through the mountain layers and the atmosphere, locking onto the coordinates of the fal