Meanwhile, at the borders of the Ten Realms.A young man sat cross-legged on the ground, robes visibly tattered, hair disheveled, a trace of blood still lingering at the corner of his mouth."This kid's been sitting there a full day now. Won't his Dao heart shatter at this rate?" A voice suddenly spoke from within the unnoticed clouds above."This particular loss hit him hard, sure, but young men are always passionate, always chasing the next wave — failure's bound to come eventually regardless. I'd say losing to Kieran Voss this time might actually turn out to be a good thing." Another voice answered from within the clouds.These two were Julian Crest's own guardians, positioned below — both long-established true kings in their own right.As they chatted, a terrifying pulse of energy suddenly surged up from below."Eh~ His aura's in total disarray. Has Julian lost his composure entirely?" One true monarch noticed the disturbance, gasping in surprise.He considered stepping in immedia

The Duskfiend Sect suffered even heavier losses. The sword-holding elder, fighting two opponents alone, held his own freely, and together with Magnus, cut down his own opponent — a seventh-level Golden Core true monarch. Three true monarchs fell in total that night.Afterward, the Duskfiend forces retreated entirely, and Cloudsea territory belonged wholly to the Sky Burial Sect."Excellent! Very well done indeed!" Evander couldn't hide his delight upon hearing the news.He no longer feared the sword-holding elder at all — instead, he'd come to revere him as the sect's true guardian deity!Sky Burial Mountain.Silas gripped his shovel tightly, a flicker of excitement in his eyes.The all-too-familiar sight of falling bodies returned once more, over two hundred fallen disciples piled beside the overpass."By the Young Sect Master's order, these disciples died with genuine merit in battle, and are to be buried with full true-rite honors."Steward Sun sent fifteen disciples to assist with

Another two days passed, the night thick and humid.Silas looked up and spotted numerous flying ships gathering among the clouds.Sweeping his spiritual awareness over them, he spotted a true monarch soaring through the sky, the ships themselves packed with disciples.Much like the earlier campaign against the Cloudsea Sect, this time Young Sect Master Evander personally led the charge.But the momentum felt considerably stronger than before — nearly every available disciple had turned out, the noise and commotion far louder than last time.Another familiar speech followed, and then the Sky Burial forces departed with full force.Hmm!The Heaven's Circuit Array flared to life, blanketing the entire Sky Burial Sect."This protective array's decent enough, but honestly, a bit careless in its construction. If the Duskfiend Sect — or anyone else — ever comes looking to wipe this place out while too few true monarchs are around to defend it, this array alone won't hold against a determined

Upon his return, numerous powerful factions had invited him to join their ranks, but he'd turned every one of them down.Competition among disciples within the larger, more powerful sects ran considerably fiercer. He'd rather be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a vast ocean — within the Sky Burial Sect, he could remain a genuine leader, with no shortage of resources at his disposal either."Taking on this disciple may well have surpassed even my own master's achievements. Not bad at all." Evander said, smiling.Three days later, Julian was formally elevated to Senior Brother of the Sky Burial Sect, sparking yet another wave of celebration."Didn't expect this kid to actually pull it off. He's managed something even his own father never dared attempt. Wonder if his father, once he returns, will feel proud or worried about it." Edmund Thorne's attitude toward Evander had shifted somewhat as a result.In the blink of an eye, spring gave way to winter once more, marking ano

Evander felt none of it directly, but Rufus's expression shifted dramatically, and he spoke, his voice trembling with shock: "Suzerain, you... ninth level of Golden Core? Perfection?""Perfection of Golden Core means nothing to me. I want Nascent Soul!""I've come today not merely for Magnus's sake, but because I intend to reshape something the Sky Burial Sect hasn't seen in centuries — so I've begun laying the groundwork early.Once it's done, once I've achieved Nascent Soul, I'll swallow up five of the remaining kingdoms out of the original ten.And should my attempt at Nascent Soul fail regardless — this sect will still remain the Lysander family's, and no one else's!""If you wish to commit a crime, you'll always find some excuse for it. Cassius Lysander — I challenge you!"A massive tremor rippled across Zenith Peak, an overwhelming pressure threatening to blanket the entire mountain — but almost as quickly as it began, all sound ceased entirely."What's happening? Why does it fe