Two terrifying explosions shook the courtyard, sending stone shrapnel in all directions. Cultivators watching the fight from the sidelines shielded themselves with anything they could find to withstand the deadly blast, but the target of the attacks was already gone.

  Cara mobilized all her strength into an urgent retreat, sensing a deadly threat as a blurry arm lunged for her throat. However, she had yet to step into the middle stage of Muscular Enhancement. Her speed, while greatly improved, couldn't match Cade’s spherule-enhanced muscles and bloodseeker's movement laws.

  The Asura’s fingers clamped around the blonde assassin’s throat. A long dagger appeared in Cara’s ring-hand, but just as she stabbed forward, her whole body seized.

  Feral Path: Ghost Touch!

  When the spark of blood qi carrying debilitating laws reached her brain, her eyes glazed over and her jaw slackened. The shining blade fell from her loosened grip. With the cultivation difference between them being exactly two stages, the ability’s effect was only partially restrained. Instead of knocking her out, Ghost Touch simply robbed Cara of all control over her body.

  Most cultivators in the front rows missed the exchange, too busy dodging hundreds of whistling shards. Once the dust thinned, they saw Cade walking slowly toward Malon, who had been forced to the ground with Legion’s gleaming tip a hairsbreadth from his throat. The Asura dragged Cara’s helpless form behind him, his large hand wrapped tightly around her neck. The assassin’s eyes were wide with pure horror; despite being fully aware of her surroundings, she couldn't move a single muscle.

  “You know what to do,” Cade said to the sword spirit, his voice cold as a grave. He extended his arm, Cara’s body dangling helplessly in his grip.

  Legion whirled in excitement. The sword flickered, and two limbs dropped to the ground. Blood sprayed from the stumps, drawing a shrill cry from the Long heiress. The Shadow Dao Palace cultivators gritted their teeth, many brandishing weapons, yet still—no one moved.

  Cade unceremoniously threw Cara’s armless figure to the ground beside Malon, the thud resonating through the tense courtyard. He swept his hand over all four severed limbs, sending them into his ring’s ordinary storage space—he didn’t want to extract their blood by accident.

  “Keep an eye on these two. If anybody comes near, kill them,” Cade said, his voice carrying clearly to everyone present. He then walked unhurriedly toward the bloody puddle that used to be Elanis’s body.

  “Bastard, do you think nobody will stop—” one of the Shadow Dao disciples, an early Muscular Enhancement expert, snarled as he stepped forward. Two fellow disciples immediately pulled him back, covering his mouth.

  “Shut the fuck up, you dolt,” one of them hissed into the loudmouth’s ear. “Are you tired of living?!”

  Nobody wanted to be the one whose actions resulted in the deaths of Cara Long and Malon Voidwalker. Their obscenely powerful families wouldn’t take to that kindly. Not kindly at all.

  Cade ignored the ruckus as he stood over the two armless figures. Both stared at Legion’s menacing dark blade, which trembled excitedly less than a foot from their faces. Neither dared to move. The blood had long since stopped flowing from Cara’s wounds, and Malon’s shoulder stumps were already showing the first signs of healing. Losing a limb or two wasn’t life-threatening to cultivators at their level.

  “First of all, let me ask: do the two of you even appreciate how reasonable I’ve been so far?” Cade asked, leaning over them.

  Cara angrily spat in his direction, but her spittle fell short of his boots. Malon, however, was a lot more agreeable.

  “Ah, yes, err… Senior. Thank you for letting us off,” Malon managed, his voice shaky but polite.

  “Good. At least one of you isn’t an idiot. I’ll hold onto your arms for now. If you don’t want to spend the next several months regrowing your limbs, send someone to the Sword Dao Monastery to collect them. Each limb will cost you half a million crystals. Sounds sensible enough?”

  Once again, Malon was the first to respond, his face lighting up. These were actually gracious terms. “Yes, Senior. Perfectly sensible!” His arms could be reattached, reducing his total recovery time from many months down to a few weeks at most.

  “You’re dead, Ward. My family won’t let this slide,” Cara gritted out, staring at his blindfolded face with seething, indignant fury, though she couldn't quite hide the glimmer of fear in her gaze.

  “Oh, alright then. I suppose only Malon will be getting his arms back,” Cade shrugged. He took out a note and tucked it into Malon’s pocket. “Show this to your Elder, and maybe you won’t have to pay anything.”

  Cara’s threats didn’t bother him. He could’ve easily killed her, but her death served no purpose. She posed no danger to him now, and it would only incite her family into a true blood feud.

  “Erm, wait…” Cara mumbled, finally realizing she had made a stupid mistake by letting her anger talk first.

  “One million per arm. I suggest you keep your mouth shut from now on,” Cade said, straightening up. His gaze swept over the gathered cultivators.

  “Many thanks, Fellow Daoists, for not involving yourselves in our little argument. I don’t intentionally seek out trouble, but as you see, I’m not afraid of it either. Good luck to you all,” Cade cupped his fist.

  A hum of murmurs rose from the courtyard. Some were angry, others were enjoying the fall of two "peak geniuses," while most remained unmoved—none of this made any difference to their own circumstances. Slowly, the crowd began to disperse.

  In Cade’s eyes, this was a bitter reminder of how lonely cultivators at the top of the food chain usually were. He could easily imagine a dozen people surrounding Malon and Cara at any given time, all vying for favor. Yet now, when they truly needed help, not a single soul stepped forward.

  Incoming steps from behind brought him out of his thoughts. Knowing well who was coming, Cade turned around with a light smile.

  “Martial Sister, is everything alright?” he asked in his usual, relaxed voice.

  Aria, the silver-haired fey, stared at him with her black, expressionless eyes. She slowly shook her head, a defeated sigh escaping her lips.

  “I give up. I’ve been training from the age of three, listening to daily Dao lectures from the age of seven. Now, at the age of twenty-one, I’ve reached the great circle of Foundation Establishment, leaving most of my peers behind,” the beautiful fey said quietly. “And you ride some damn red fog that chokes people out, walk into a rain of poisoned arrows as if it were a summer drizzle, and cut off geniuses’ arms for profit like it was a perfectly ordinary thing to do. None of it makes any sense!”

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  She spoke the last few words in a raised voice, sounding almost angry—so unlike her usual, composed self.

  Cade nodded solemnly. “You’re right. There is no justice in cultivation; only opportunity. Some are simply born more powerful than others, some have poor or average talent but belong to rich families, and others have neither, toiling from sunrise till sundown every damn day.”

  After hardening briefly, his voice returned to its normal, unstrained tone. “But this isn’t a competition between me and you. We’re only competing against ourselves. I don’t compare myself to others, because then I could very well sit back and say, ‘Since I’m already pretty decent, what’s the point of working even harder?’ That’s not the kind of thinking that takes you to the top. So I will always work as hard as I can, regardless of whether I’m the best or scraping for leftovers at the bottom.”

  Although not much could be gleaned from fey eyes, he could swear she looked at him a little differently this time.

  “And he’s a damn philosopher at that,” she commented, a wide smile stretching her full lips.

  Cade let out a laughing snort, sending a pulse of life-sense to track down King and Reeve. “I’m going to check on my friends. Would you like to come with me?”

  “I’m in a queue for the Magitower, so I’ll need to stay around the courtyard,” Aria sighed. “I feel like no matter what I do, I won’t be able to keep up with someone like you.”

  “That’s not true,” Cade shook his head. “It takes one opportunity. Just one! And if you take full advantage of it, your potential could soar past anyone on the continent. Perhaps you could even become the most powerful being on the planet. Personally, I believe that nothing is out of limits. That’s why you can’t pass on any opportunities to grow stronger. You never know which one could change your life.”

  Aria pondered his words for a moment, her eyes fixed on the cracked stone below her feet. Then, her head rose with a determined look.

  “You’re right, Martial Brother. Thank you for reminding me,” she cupped her fist.

  “Bah, I’m only repeating what I’ve either read somewhere or what others told me. Doesn't make it untrue, though,” Cade shrugged, chuckling quietly. “Good luck at the Magitower, Martial Sister. If you need my help, I’ll be just a few miles away.” He pointed toward the northeast.

  Aria smiled, offering him a thankful nod, and walked off toward the Magitower. Cade slowly rose into the purple sky, flying unhurriedly toward the ruined palace where King and Brickwall were currently staying.

  “Boss! You’re alive!” the ex-bandit exclaimed as the Asura landed softly on the dead ground. King was sitting on a ruined pillar next to Reeve, who lay on a simple bed with severe burns. The monk offered a toothy smile. Cade swiftly examined his life signature in detail.

  “Why the surprise? Do you think so little of me?” Cade asked with mock disappointment. He handed a full bloodstone to Reeve. As the body healed, it used up blood qi, and keeping it at peak levels helped with the recovery.

  “How are Malon and the rest of those fuckers? I hope they’re in worse shape than me,” Brickwall half-said, half-coughed, accepting the bloodstone with a grateful nod.

  “Don’t use it up too quickly, or you’ll get blood sickness,” Cade warned. “As for the rest, Elanis is dead, and Cara and Malon won’t be able to wipe their arses for a while. I’ve heard it can be a challenging task without both arms.” His face broke into an evil grin. “I’ve also arranged some serious compensation for you both.”

  “Serious? How serious?!” King leaned in, his light-brown eyes shining like gold coins.

  “It depends on how their families react, but either way, you won’t have to worry about crystals for a long time,” Cade said, taking out three rings and passing them to King. “This is just a taste.”

  “Boss… you have to take some of it. We can’t pocket it all when you’ve risked your life for us. I’ll be the first to admit I love crystals, but even dogs understand gratitude,” King said with uncommon seriousness, gently pushing Cade's hand away.

  “I’ve already arranged for something that’ll be more than fair compensation. So unless you’re already so wealthy you’re sleeping on a mountain of crystals, take the rings.” Cade pushed his hand forward.

  “Alright, if you say so,” King grinned, swiping the glittering trinkets.

  “Shameless bastard,” Brickwall snorted, falling into another coughing fit. His airways must have been scalded by the fire.

  “What am I supposed to do? I need consolation. You might be getting married soon, and then you’ll be lost to the world. 'Wife this, wife that'—I know how it is,” King teased, utterly disregarding Reeve’s thunderous gaze.

  “What marriage?” Cade asked, confused.

  “King’s just talking his usual crap. She’s a nice girl, gave me a couple of potent healing pills, that’s all,” Brickwall explained, his burned face picking up a deeper reddish hue.

  King’s grin widened. “A girl from the Long family, Alicia—an inner disciple of our Sword Dao—apparently felt really bad for what her cousin did to Reeve and came to offer help. And consolation,” King chuckled. “Gave him two third-tier pills. Talked to Brick for a while. A long while. And—listen to this—she giggled!”

  Brickwall looked like he wanted to protest, but the ex-bandit didn’t let him. “Yeah, I heard that! And when it came to poor little me? She chucked some second-tier dreg of a pill in my direction as she was leaving. Now you tell me what that means,” King chortled, wiggling his eyebrows.

  “Fuck off, she’s just a nice person,” Reeve turned away, pretending to focus on revolving his qi. King and Cade shot each other knowing grins.

  “Uh-huh. Anyway, what now, Boss?” King asked.

  “Now? I need to pick up Jade.” Cade quickly explained what had happened near the carcass of the huge mantis-ant. Both his friends’ expressions turned somber.

  “Do you think there are more Death Dao spies around?” the ex-bandit asked, concerned.

  “I’m convinced that’s the case. They can conceal their death worms really well, even from Soul Avatar experts. But I don’t think Death Dao is going to move openly anytime soon. They prefer working from the shadows—slowly taking over sects from the bottom until they can replace most Elders with their own people. It’s efficient. Little risk, plenty to gain. You fellows need to be very careful about who you trust.”

  Both men nodded gloomily. Nobody wanted to look over their shoulder in a place that was supposed to be a safe haven.

  They chatted for another hour before Cade departed to pick up Jade. Over the next two days, they all relaxed while Reeve slowly healed. Luckily, nobody bothered them. The young monk had several broken bones, and although his burns were nearly gone, he wasn't able to recover in time to give the last level of the Magitower a shot.

  The missed opportunity frustrated the big man to no end, but Cade told him there might be a way to visit the place in a lot less than nine years. Naturally, they both began questioning him immediately, but he just gave them a tight-lipped smile.

  Not everything was perfect, though. Since experiencing the memory of the highest heavenly calamity, dreams had been troubling him. After closing his eyes, he’d often find himself under those yellow skies, suffering through the torture all over again. He was forced to accept it as the price for claiming the eyes of a god.

  Time flew, and it was soon time to leave the Realm.

  “Senior Sister, I have to go for now. Thank you for everything. Once I’m capable, I’ll come here on my own. How soon do you think the Divine Realm will return to normal operation?”

  “I’ll be holding you to it,” the guardian spirit answered warmly. “Give it a year; it’ll take some time before it’s safe for spatial travel. Good luck, Junior Brother. Be safe.” Her voice sounded different… unchained. Free from obligation, Day Night could finally live her own life, and Cade was happy for her.

  “Thank you once again, Senior Sister. I’ll make sure to visit soon!” Cade bowed, fist snapping to palm with deep gratitude.

  A few hours later, they were all gathered around the world gate, which was currently being activated from the other side. Cade, carrying Jade’s unconscious body in his arms—her head wrapped in bandages to conceal her face—scanned the hundreds of disciples around him. Most were happy, some less so. A small number were hurt, and a few dozen looked dispirited after failing to find any opportunities.

  But overall, the atmosphere was electric. Everyone who had discovered something useful wanted to get out and use it to advance. Another hour passed, and Cade inhaled the dry air of the Divine Realm for the last time.

  Great circle of Flesh Fortification… I’m ready!

  He took a glance into his ring’s blood storage, eager to see how much Rank 4 essence had been extracted so far. The result shocked him so much he nearly tripped while stepping through the gate.

  All the silver dragon’s blood was there—not counting the reverse scale—but the mantis-ant he stole from Death Dao seemed untouched. Other than a few meager drops, there was nothing.

  Where the hell is my Rank 4 blood?!