The first black-armored warrior dropped from the shattered ceiling.Then another and there were dozens.Within seconds, the underground battlefield was flooded with figures wearing identical black armor and masks.The Black Crown had arrived.Kael stepped in front of Lucy and Nova.His golden aura expanded around him, forming a barrier that pushed back the darkness."Stay behind me."Lucy nodded.Nova clung tightly to her mother.Across the battlefield, the Second Guardian stood before the ancient throne.He looked completely unconcerned.One of the black-armored warriors raised his weapon."The Guardian has awakened!"Another shouted."Secure the vessels!"Kael's eyes narrowed.Vessels.They weren't talking about him.They were talking about Lucy.He looked at her.The silver light around her body had grown stronger."Lucy, stay close.""I am."A black-armored warrior suddenly lunged.Kael vanished.Boom!His fist struck the warrior's chest and sent him flying across the battlefield.

Darkness swallowed Kael.One moment, he was standing before the Realm Core with Lucy, Nova, and the Second Guardian.The next, there was nothing. No battlefield, sound or spiritual energy.Kael opened his eyes. He was standing in a vast darkness.There was no ground beneath his feet, yet he was not falling.Around him floated countless fragments of light. Each one contained an image.A warrior kneeling before the Realm Core, a kingdom burning and a Guardian raising a golden sword.Another Guardian surrounded by black flames. A woman bathed in silver light.Kael stared at the visions. “What is this?”A voice answered from behind him.“The memories of the Guardians.”Kael turned.The Devourer stood several meters away.But it was different here.Its enormous body had disappeared.Instead, it appeared as a tall humanoid figure covered in black robes. Its countless eyes were gone, replaced by two dull crimson eyes.Kael immediately summoned his Guardian Energy.The Devourer did not attack

For several seconds, Kael simply stood there. The underground battlefield was quiet.The Devourer was gone and the Realm Core had stabilized. The black formation that had nearly consumed everything was nothing more than broken pieces of stone scattered across the ground.But Kael didn't care about any of that. His eyes were fixed on Lucy and Nova.They were alive. That was all that mattered. “Daddy!”Nova suddenly ran toward him. Kael dropped to one knee and opened his arms.Nova crashed into his chest and he caught her tightly.“Daddy!”Her small arms wrapped around his neck. Kael closed his eyes.For the first time since receiving Lucy's spiritual transmission, he allowed himself to feel the fear he had been suppressing. He had been afraid.Terrified. When he found the empty residence at the Belmont Clan, he had imagined the worst.When he saw Lucy and Nova imprisoned inside Kingdom C, something inside him had nearly broken.And when the Devourer appeared, he had known that even his

The Ravenhart Clan had been waiting. For days, no one had known whether Kael was alive.Rumors had spread through the clan.Some said Kingdom C had captured him. Others claimed the Guardian had awakened and destroyed the kingdom.A few elders had even begun preparing for the possibility that Kael would never return.Then the enormous gates of the Ravenhart estate opened.A carriage passed through.The guards froze. One of them dropped his spear. “Is that...?”Another guard stared. “Kael.”Within seconds, the news spread through the entire estate.Kael Ravenhart had returned. But he wasn't alone. Lucy stepped out beside him.Then Nova and for several seconds, the guards simply stared.Then one of them shouted. “The Guardian is back!”The courtyard erupted.Ravenhart warriors poured out of the buildings.Elders followed.Even servants abandoned their duties to see the returning family.Kael looked around quietly.Nothing appeared different.Yet everything felt different.The last time h

Night had settled over the Ravenhart Clan. The training grounds were quiet.Most of the disciples had already returned to their residences, exhausted from the day's training. Even the elders had retired to their chambers.But deep within the clan's cultivation courtyard, Kael remained seated beneath an ancient cedar tree. His legs were crossed and his back was straight.His breathing was slow. Inhale. Exhale.With every breath, the spiritual energy in the surrounding air slowly gathered toward him.Tonight, Kael wasn't training his martial techniques.He was cultivating.He had spent the past several days familiarizing himself with the clan's cultivation method.Qi Refining was the first true realm of cultivation.The process was simple in theory.Sense spiritual energy.Draw it into the body.Refine it.Then circulate it through the meridians until the body could contain it.But simple did not mean easy.For most cultivators, reaching the first stage could take weeks or even months.