By dawn, Kael had left the Belmont Clan. He traveled alone. No guards. No elders or army. Even Darius had wanted to send a small group of elite cultivators with him, but Kael refused. The fewer people who knew where he was going, the better. Kingdom D was several days away from the Belmont Clan, separated by a vast stretch of wilderness and two smaller territories. Kael moved quickly, crossing hundreds of miles before stopping near the border. From a hill overlooking the main road, he could already see the walls of Kingdom D in the distance. They were enormous. Black stone formed the outer walls, reinforced with countless defensive formations. Thousands of soldiers patrolled the top. Yet something immediately felt wrong. Kael narrowed his eyes. There were too many soldiers. But they weren't positioned like an invading army. They were positioned like an army expecting to be attacked. Kael's spiritual sense spread across the area. The soldiers carried weap

Cultivation levels.Names of nobles.Information about clans.Even information about Kael.His eyes stopped on one particular document.**KAEL RAVENHART — CURRENT LOCATION: KINGDOM D.**Marcus's face became pale.“When was that written?”Kael picked up the document.“Today.”The captain's heart sank.“Then they knew you were coming before you entered the kingdom.”Kael's expression became colder.But something else caught his attention.At the center of the room was a large map.Four kingdoms were marked around a single point.Kael stepped closer.A fifth symbol had been drawn beneath them.A black crown.And beneath it were the words:**AWAKENING SITE.**Kael stared at it.“What is this?”Marcus shook his head.“I don't know.”Kael placed his hand over the map.His spiritual sense entered it.A powerful spatial fluctuation suddenly erupted.The entire underground hall trembled.Then a voice echoed from somewhere beyond the walls.“Guardian.”Kael's eyes widened.The voice continued.

The military council erupted into chaos. “Kingdom Cerler has crossed the border?”“How many fortresses have fallen?”“Send reinforcements immediately!”“Seal the northern gates!”The generals shouted over one another while servants rushed in and out of the chamber.Kael remained completely still. His eyes stayed on the soldier who had delivered the report.“The black crown flag,” Kael said. “Are you certain?”The soldier nodded quickly.“Yes, sir. Our scouts saw it clearly.”Kael's expression darkened.So it had begun.The black-crown organization had deliberately launched an attack under Kingdom B's banner.Now Kingdom D would retaliate.Kingdom B would claim self-defense.Kingdom A and Kingdom C would see the conflict as proof that their suspicions were correct.Within days, the entire region could descend into war.The King of Kingdom D slammed his fist onto the table.“General Marcus!”A large man immediately stepped forward.“Yes, Your Majesty!”“Take twenty thousand soldiers nor

The road to Kingdom C had never felt so long.Kael moved through the night without stopping.Mountains became shadows beneath his feet. Rivers flashed beneath him like strips of silver beneath the moonlight. Villages that would have taken ordinary travelers hours to cross disappeared behind him in moments.He no longer cared about concealing his cultivation.Every restriction he had placed upon himself was gone.His black robe snapped violently in the wind as he pushed his speed to its limit.Lucy.Nova.The three words from the spiritual transmission continued repeating in his mind.Kael, help me.Then silence.He had tried contacting Lucy again.Nothing.He had tried reaching Darius.Nothing.The farther he traveled from the Belmont Clan, the colder his heart became.Whoever had taken them had known exactly when to strike.They had waited until he was away.They had bypassed the clan's defenses.They had taken Lucy and Nova alive.And, most importantly, they had left enough evidence

At first, Kael saw only a silhouette.Then two glowing eyes appeared in the darkness.Lucy whispered:"Kael..."He didn't answer.The figure stepped closer.And for the first time, Kael sensed an aura that rivaled his own.Not similar.Equal.The assassin lowered his head."At last."The figure looked directly at Kael."The Guardian has awakened."Kael's expression hardened."Who are you?"The figure smiled."I am the reason your existence was hidden."Kael's heart tightened."What?"The figure took another step."You were never the only Guardian."Silence.Lucy stared at Kael.Nova clung to her mother.Kael felt something inside him shift.The figure raised one hand.Dark energy gathered around his palm."I am the other half of the inheritance."Kael's golden energy immediately responded.The chamber shook.The ancient door opened completely.Beyond it was not a room.It was an enormous underground battlefield.Broken weapons covered the ground.Ancient bones lay scattered across the