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Chapter 437 - Events After Death

"The only two observers in this world?" Aria mumbled with a frown before asking, "Who's world is this? Did you bring me here?"

"This is the world of my memories. Everything that happened here, has already happened. They are all past events. As for you are here, I do not know why. I did not bring you here." The person explained.

She slowly descended onto the soft snow with her jade white feet and slowly entered the courtyard. Aria quickly followed her blindly.

"If this is the world of your memories, then there should be another you in this world, right? Where were you when all of this happened? And why do we look so alike?" Aria asked.

The person shook her head and said, "I do not know why we look alike, but it seems that there is some profound and inseparable connection between us. The answer to your other questions lies over there."

After the person pointed, Aria glanced up the top of the building adjacent to the courtyard. On the very top floor, the other person in the world of memories was quietly glancing into the distant kingdom below the mountain.

Aria wrinkled her expression.

"You were this close? You should have overheard everything then. Why didn't you stop them from going?" Aria queried.

The person gave a despondent sigh.

"If I knew, I would have. Look again carefully. We were all young back then. How would I have known that the so-called gaining confidence was to go sleep with cheap women in a brothel?"

When Aria heard this, she glanced at the other person on the top building's balcony more carefully.

The person was much a much younger version than the other talking to her. In fact, this younger person was almost identical to her.

"How can there be two exact same people in this world?" Aria could not help but bring up this question that had been pushed in the back of her mind.

"This world, huh? That's an interesting point. Actually, I'm not too confident in this place being the world of my memories." The other Aria said.

Aria was confused by the other Aria's words and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Before you came, I did believe that this was the world built by my memories. But now, I am not so sure. It is impossible to replicate events that I have not seen before. Let me show you."

The other Aria waved her hand, and the surrounding scenery suddenly changed.

They were now standing on a bustling street within the kingdom. Not only that, but it was also within the Red District.

Aria saw the two boys, Judas Gahfrit and Leon Escladus entering one of the buildings with flirtatious women in revealing clothes standing on the balcony, waving at ongoing crowds of people passing through the streets.

"This is…"

"The Red District."

After Leon entered the building with Judas, he was taken aback by what the place really was. He tried to persuade Judas to leave the area, but it did not work.

Judas assured him that they were only there to drink.

Nevertheless, after being peer pressured into drinking many wine shots, Leon got drunk according to his friend's plan.

When Leon woke up the next day, he was surrounded by beauties in his arms, naked, and the night before slowly became vivid to him as he tried to recall.

The other Aria shortly fast-forwarded this scene before she confusedly said to Aria, "I was not around to see when this happen. As such, it should not have existed within my memory now that I think about it."

Aria was surprised.

This person, who seems so strong and knowledgeable, also had times when she felt lost and clueless about what was really happening.

"What kind of world is this, really? I have never seen magical places like this before. How are those islands floating in the sky?"

"Oh? Are you not someone from the Divine Realm? The Desolate Region outside the Divine Realm, perhaps?" The other Aria tried to guess.

"So, this place is called the Divine Realm…" Aria mumbled before she wrinkled her brows and asked, "What is the Desolate Region?"

"The Desolate Region is referred to places that exist too far from the Divine Realm's central region, which gathers all the power in the universe toward its center. The Desolate Regions have next to no Spirit Energy to sustain effective Divine Cultivation."

Perhaps, because the other Aria had been too lonely in this world by herself, she was incredibly talkative, answering all of Aria's question.

Aria matched some of the knowledge she found from the fragmented dreams with the other Aria's words and gained a clearer picture of the Divine Realm and Desolate Regions.

The Human Domain seemed to be precisely the same as the Desolate Regions the other Aria describe. It also had a scarce amount of Spirit Energy—that was until the World Tree came into being.

"Eh, it seems my world might be in one of these Desolate Regions you mentioned. Spirit Energy used to be scarce, but now we have the World Tree to provide for us." Aria said.

"Your world has a World Tree?"

"Yes."

Aria nodded.

The other Aria immediately shook her head and said, "It's impossible to give birth to a World Tree in the Desolate Region. You… should not be in one of these Desolate Regions. Another world, perhaps?" The other Aria guessed, but she was not too confident.

"Perhaps the world outside has changed since my death." She added.

Aria was immediately confused by this line.

"What do you mean 'after your death?' Are you not alive right here? Can you not get out of this world?"

"I have been trapped in this place by myself for many years, unable to get out nor kill myself. I would hardly call this living, don't you think? I cannot live, but I cannot die either." The other Aria said.

She waved her hand, and the world rapidly changed once more, fast-forwarding by many years into the future. In this new timeline, the Divine Pill Kingdom was on fire.

"In this timeline, everyone I loved is already dead. I made my way back as soon as I heard the news, but it is already too late." The other Aria slowly explained.

Buildings were on fire, and battles broke out in every corner of—not only the kingdom, but the entire Divine Realm. It was a grand battle between numerous Divine Practitioners, but also myriads of races!

"Why is everyone fighting?" Aria asked, confused by this scene. It was not included within her fragmented dream.

"News of the Divine Medicine King's death caused grief and outrage throughout the entire Divine Realm. You see, Leon's father, Heinrich Escladus was a saintly doctor who treated everyone equally, regardless of their race and background.

"This made him beloved by all races, including the demon race from the Northern Devil Region. The entire Divine Realm was thrown in turmoil after the Demon Empress launched an attack on the other three Divine Regions."

While the other Aria was explaining, they soon arrived at a specific open area within the palace, atop the snowy mountain.

In this spot, two corpses were seen lying in the cold snow, stripped of anything valuable to them except their clothes.

Aria soon saw the fairy-like Aria of the world arriving at the scene shortly with a frosty divine sword in her hand.

The person did not see her and the other Aria.

The person's gaze was fixated on the two cold corpses before rushing forward to hug one of the bodies dearly to herself, heartbroken as tears began flowing her cheeks.

"Why did this happen?! Is there no justice in this world?!" The person cried towards the heavens with grievances.

How could two people who accumulated karmic virtue by saving lives all their life come to such a miserable end?! Do they have no divine protection from garnishing so much good karma?!

The heavens also seemed upset that things had come to this. It thundered with streaks of powerful lightning in the skies. Its power was enough to even annihilate Divine Kings, but no one was hit.

"Aria! It's great that you're back! But we cannot stay here anymore! The demon army is about to overrun this place! Come with me. We need to get out of here!" A person shortly arrived pulled the fairy-like Aria's tender white hands.

However, the fairy-like Aria simply looked at the person coldly before flicking her wrist with an outburst of Divine Energy, causing the person to loosen his grip and flew away like a cannonball, slamming into a wall.

"Judas, I have misjudged you! What kind of heartless friend are you to leave Leon's body here in the cold like this?!" The fairy-like Aria said hatefully with tears and anger.

"I… It's not like that, Aria! I've just got here! I have been fighting the demons on the frontlines until now! I would never leave their bodies like this if I were not tied down by the demons!" Judas Gahfrit explained.

The fairy-like Aria shot the person a ridiculing look and said, "Then why are you here? What about before the demon army even reach the borders of our Divine Pill Kingdom? What about then, huh?! Save your sugary lies for someone else. I won't believe a single one of your words!"

Aria and the other Aria both watched this scene and felt deep sadness gushed out of deep within their hearts. They were mournful of the losses.

The other Aria had revisited this scene many times, but it saddens her greatly every time.

"The people dearest to me have already left this world. What meaning do I have left to continue living in it?!"

"Stop, Aria! Don't do it!" Judas barked.

However, he could do nothing against the fairy-like Aria's powerful Divine King-level cultivation suppressing him.

She severed her own heart veins and sent power Energy Palm Strike to her own forehead to annihilate her soul before her body collapsed on top of the other two bodies.

"Nooo!" Judas roared mournfully before rushing over.

The other Aria sighed and waved her hand to end the scene before looking back at Aria.

"Now, you know why I should be dead.... Yet here I am stuck in this strange world."

Chapter 438 - Icesoul Coffin

Suddenly, Aria had a bad feeling.

If this person was stuck in this memory world, then what was going to happen to her? Was she going to be stuck in this world too?

She was supposed to be in the middle of her Transcendence!

"Is there really no way to leave this world? I can't be stuck here. I was still in the middle of a breakthrough before I entered this place!" Aria said with an urgent tone.

The other Aria glanced at Aria with surprise and asked, "You didn't come here after dying, but while you were in the middle of a breakthrough? What realm were you breathing through to?"

"What? Of course not!" Aria denied the possibility of her dying. Shortly after, she explained, "I was in the middle of breaking through to the Transcendent Realm."

"The Transcendent Realm? What kind of realm is that?" The other Aria asked with furrowed brows. She had not heard of this realm within the realms of Divine Cultivation.

"The Transcendent Realm is the realm that comes after…" Aria began explaining to the other Aria about Awakening Cultivation and the comprehension of laws.

After she was done, the other Aria had an understanding look while saying, "I see. That sounds like a really interesting cultivation system. However, something would not be possible in the Divine Realm. It seems we are really from different worlds."

The other Aria recalled the World Tree that Aria mentioned in her world—A World Tree that bloomed in a world with scarce Spirit Energy.

"Why don't you tell me more about your world? Maybe we will be able to figure out a way to leave this place if I get a clearer understanding of your situation." The other Aria explained.

She was intrigued by Aria's world.

Aria nodded.

"It's rare to have someone to talk to. I shouldn't keep calling you, you, and the same goes for you too. My name is Aria White. And you are?" The other Aria decided to finally introduce herself.

Aria glanced back at Aria White in surprise.

Not only did they look the same, but they also share the same name? Although it was only the first name, it was enough to prove that some profound and separable connection truly existed between them.

"I am Aria Rivera."

"Ah, another Aria. I see. We really do share some sort of inexplicably intertwined fate. Come to think of it, you share the spitting image of my younger self. If you were to practice my divine cultivation technique, we would become like twins in a few years."

"Is the divine cultivation technique called the [Ice Phoenix Divine Canon]?" Aria asked.

Aria White was immediately taken aback before she said, "So you also know that name of this divine cultivation technique too. It seems we will have a lot to talk about."

"It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise. I have so much I wish to learn from you."

When the two Aria tried to shake hands, something happened.

Their hands phased through each other just like when they tried to interact with the memory world—However, that was not all. Aria White's body became slightly translucent, like a part of her being was absorbed by Aria Rivera.

The scene stunned them both.

"I-I'm sorry… I did not expect for this to happen…" Aria apologetically said, taking a few steps back with shock and incomprehensibility.

In mere moments, she experienced a greater shock as a source of information flowed into her head.

"Y-Your memories… I have them in my mind…"

"So that is how it is…"

The other Aria said.

She glanced at her slightly translucent hand for a moment before she seemed to have understood what was going on.

Shaking her head, she said, "No, don't be sorry. This is fine by me. I am supposed to be dead anyway. This could be the secret to leaving this place. Destiny brought us together for this moment—I was kept alive for this moment. Let us become one."

"No! There had to be another way!" Aria denied while retreating backward. Her hand was still clear as can be, while only Aria White had become translucent. "You will die if this continues!"

"Yes, as it should have been years ago." The other Aria nodded, thinking nothing of it. Her heart had died long ago.

The only she was still alive in this place was because she cannot kill herself.

Aria frowned.

"Don't you want to know more about my world? We can sit down somewhere; I will tell you more about it!" She persuaded.

"There's no need for that."

"Besides, your world's power is centralized around law comprehension. In that case, you will find my knowledge especially useful. You see, this place is ideally the best place to comprehend the Temporal Laws."

Aria was startled when the other Aria suddenly disappeared in front of her.

When she thought about it, they were both observers in this memory world. Yet, the other person could freely change the flow of time to show her specific events within the history of the memory world.

At this moment, the other Aria was also displaying the usage of Spatial Laws. Aria was amazed that this person could freely control the Spatial and Temporal Laws despite not being an Awakener.

'Divine Kings were amazing.' Aria thought.

However, she was wrong.

Aria did not know that even among Divine Kings, no one is able to control the Temporal Law as well as Aria White had shown.

"Time moves in a linear path. The first step is to speed up the flow of time, achieving Temporal Acceleration."

The other Aria reappeared in another location and lectured Aria while showing a demonstration.

"The second step is to slow down time, achieving Temporal Stagnation…"

"The third step is to stop time, achieving Temporal Suspension…"

"The fourth step is to reverse time, achieving Temporal Reversal…"

"This is what I have comprehended. If there is a fifth step, allowing you to reverse time back to the beginning of time... Well, I suppose you would have the same power as the Creator—if there's one, of course."

The other Aria flickered and disappeared again, reappearing and launching a surprise hug from behind, wrapping her arms around Aria.

"That's about it. You should understand the rest once you absorb my knowledge. Alas, I do not know how useless this knowledge will be in your world. However, I pray that you make the most of it."

"Stop it, Aria! Let go of me! You're disappearing!" Aria struggled, but she could not great free from Aria White's embrace.

Aria White's body gradually turned more transparent. Parts of her body faded into nothing, but a smile hung on her face while her eyes appeared clouded and unfocused.

Her mind was preoccupied with something else.

"I see… he was reborn into that world. You were a lot braver than I was… I hope you can take care of him well for me… my other self." The other Aria spoke before the last trace of her being completely vanished into Aria's body.

"Noooo!" Aria cried.

The invisible force restricting her movements were lifted, along with Aria White's disappearance. Aria tried to catch the final fading particles of light, but they just vanished into her hands.

Two streaks of tears ran down Aria's cheeks while an endless stream of information entered her mind.

They were absorbed directly into her soul core and grew increasingly like a patch of snows being added to a rolling snowball. It was not like a growing balloon; there was no stress on her mind.

Shortly after, cracks began to form on the distant edges of the memory world. It broke down in parts as large pieces of the sky fell to the ground one after the other and shatter like glasses until everything disappeared.

The world outside the memory world was not the infinite void of darkness but a great grey expanse. Aria only managed to catch a few glimpses of it before she felt an invisible tug on her mind and brought her back into her sea of consciousness.

Everything had disappeared in an instant and gave Aria the surreal feeling that everything she had witnessed was nothing more than an illusion.

'What kind of spiritual world was that?' She mused quietly with a forlorn expression.

…

Meanwhile, somewhere in the Divine Realm.

A man wearing a traditional silk robe with luxurious dragon patterns was seen inside a dark but spacious underground tomb with dimly lit candle fire.

The temperature of the underground tomb was below freezing point, and the soft billows of cold mists could be seen filling the place. Any ordinary person who touches this cold mist would freeze in an instant.

Nevertheless, the man in dragon-patterned silk robes did not seem bothered by this coldness. A faint layer of Divine Energy shielded his body.

His cultivation was not very high, only within the middle stages of the Divine Transformation Realm. Even so, it was more than enough to protect him against the cold.

He was seated by an ice coffin made of something called 'Icesoul Crystals,' something used to preserve the body of the dead in their most pristine state.

Legend had it that when someone is preserved in the Icesoul Crystal Coffin for 100 thousand years, their soul fragments would slowly gather in that timespan until the person is finally revived.

However, at this moment, the Icesoul Crystal Coffin suddenly cracked. Extreme frosty air began to spill from inside immediately as the coffin walls gain translucency, revealing the person of a fairy-like woman with otherworldly beauty inside.

"No!"

The man cried with desolation and misery immediately.

He shot to his feet and tried to quickly seal the crack in the Icesoul Coffin before roaring with anguish, "Why did this happen?!"

Chapter 439 - Meat Grinder

Western Frontier, Great Wall.

In the upper north, the airship passed a fortified wall adjacent to the Great Wall, which successfully sealed off a section of the military city.

The erected wall was not high; it only amounted to roughly 12fts in height on average as it was uneven.

It was hastily made using scrap resources the people could gather, comprising broken stone blocks, wooden crates, planks, random metal sheets, bars, and frames.

The airship descended and landed on an empty patch of land after they were directed by the soldiers.

"General Marquis!"

The captain and crew of the airship immediately greeted when General Marquis Hendrick boarded.

Hendrick nodded.

He swept the airship a look and spotted Princess Faelyn before asking, "Were you heading back to Elvengarde with Marquis Haldir, Princess Faelyn?"

"Yes, that's right." Faelyn nodded before asking with a frown, "Exactly what happened here?"

The captain and crewmembers all tuned their ears in to listen immediately. They were all dying of curiosity to find out the situation.

"Haiz," Hendrick sighed before explaining, "We were struck by a double disaster. The beasts have been growing aggressively in recent days, and we had sought to study the cause. However, our people were infected as a result. Although we quickly contained it, we were shortly attacked by those rats you just saw. They had breached our underground sewage system."

"Anyone bitten by these rats will be infected with the same berserk symptoms, becoming a berserk human—but only if these rats don't devour you down to the last bone, that is. These rats struck quickly, but we also resisted desperately until the hour of sunrise arrived."

"That was when they retreated and gave us breathing room. They appear to fear the sunlight. Even so, many people were bitten in the process, and we ended up losing control of the central region."

After listening, the airship captain could not help but ask, "Why wasn't any news sent back to the Capital?"

"The rats were too frenzied. Wherever there were people, there were rats. The communication tower was destroyed, and the only airships we had at the port in the central region were swarmed while they were taking off." Hendrick stated.

"We were attacked overnight. And as you can see, no one has much energy left to move. A messenger has already been sent, but it will still take a few hours before reaching the Capital. I, myself, could have gone, but I cannot leave and abandon the commands here."

Faelyn and the crew were immediately surprised and glanced around. It was no wonder that everyone they see was in low spirits.

"Everything was built up overnight?" A crew muttered.

It looked like the Western Frontier had been at war for three days and three nights. It was unbelievable that they managed to erect such walls to seal off the central region of the city in one day.

"It good that we have Marquis Haldir here with us now. With his strength, we will have a greater chance of resisting the endless waves of rats. But… I'm afraid it is still going to be a long night." Hendrick said.

"It's a pity that we don't have Grandmaster Don or another strong fire Awakeners here with us. Only with their abilities can we sweep this place clean and not would about this strange berserk disease lingering in the air and infecting anyone else."

General Marquis Hendrick shook his head with concern before walking onto a high platform to observe the situation on the Supreme Elder's side.

Droves of rats continue to throw themselves at the Supreme Elder like moths flying into the fire. Simultaneously, the berserk humans finished scaling the high walls with their human mountain before lunging themselves forward.

Not only did the berserk humans threw themselves at the Supreme Elder, but they also attacked the Wingrats!

In an instance, it had become a three-way battle between the Supreme Elder, the Wingrats, and the berserk humans.

Nevertheless, whether it was the Wingrats or the berserk humans, all were shredded to pieces under the Supreme Elder's thorny vine whips.

'A Transcendent's power is high, but not inexhaustible.' Hendrick mused. He needed to give the Supreme Elder some room to breathe.

"Stay here."

Hendrick gave the order to the soldiers.

While the Supreme Elder pondered how to break free from his current situation, Hendrick flew over in the sky and summoned a wind tempest towards the scorched mountains of bodies.

In a short instance, numerous Wingrats were swept off their feet while the mountains of scorched bodies collapsed. Countless wind blades diced the Wingrats into pieces and blew them away from the Great Wall.

Hendrick's attack not only swept away the Wingrats, but he also cleared the foot of the Great Wall, allowing the Supreme Elder to maneuver for his previous stalemate.

The Wingrats were much quicker than the berserk humans.

However, Hendrick was surprised when the Supreme Elder did not take the chance he had given to retreat.

Instead, the Supreme Elder jumped down from the Great Wall while reaching into his hands into his pouch to grab several more seeds!

At the bottom of the Great Wall where the mountains of scorched bodies had been was now a flat ground. However, there was also a massive hole where large numbers of Wingrats could be seen pouring out endlessly!

Supreme Elder Haldir tossed his seeds straight into the hole. Those seeds proliferated into countless more thorny vines that began lacerating everything in its surrounding.

At the same time, several other thorny vine seeds proliferated in the Supreme Elder's other hand before they intertwined themselves and transformed into a super long javelin of roughly 150ft in length!

The super-long javelin was immediately stabbed into the ground while the Supreme Elder was still free-falling forward, causing the javelin to bend like an arc.

While this was happening, the berserk humans had followed the Supreme Elder and leaped off the walls after him!

They narrowly missed each other when arced javelin flung the Supreme Elder back into the sky like a catapult.

General Marquis Hendrick was taken aback by the scene, but he reacted quickly. He immediately flew over and caught the Supreme Elder in midair.

Thanks to the Supreme Elder's quick thinking, he had eliminated himself from the equation and allowed the berserk humans and Wingrats to battle amongst themselves.

Berserk humans continuously threw themselves off the walls while Wingrats poured out from the big rathole. All of this happened while the thorn vines spun and lacerate them like a meat grinder, reaping thousands of lives by the seconds.

"Nice follow-up." Supreme Elder Haldir chuckled and said, "I was not sure what would have happened if you did not catch me."

After hearing these words, General Marquis Hendrick smiled wryly, "That was quite the dangerous stunt you pulled there, Marquis Haldir."

"Hohoho, indeed it was." Haldir laughed it off lightly.

"However…"

Hendrick frowned while observing the ground below with the Supreme Elder in the sky with him.

There was also a tinge of sadness in his eyes while he watched the countless berserk humans get killed without an intact corpse left behind.

Among them were mostly civilians, but there were also soldiers who have served him for many years. Alas, the world they lived in was a cruel one.

"Once all the berserk humans are killed, we will still have to fight the endless tide rats. What do you think we should do, Marquis Haldir?" Hendrick sough the Supreme Elder's opinion.

The Supreme Elder shortly furrowed his brows before glancing towards the great forest in the northwestern direction.

He wondered how the situation was back in Elvengarde.

Roar!

A strong howl suddenly came from the west.

Hendrick and Haldir both turned their heads to look immediately. Faelyn and the others on the Great Wall also glanced into the Wildland's direction.

"Awoooo!"

On a distant hill, a large grey wolf with three tails appeared.

It was not a Transcendent-level beast, but there were large numbers of themselves. They were lured over by the pungent stench of blood pervading the air from dozens of miles away.

After lining up on the hill and gazing into the distance for some time, they began making their charge once the leader howled.

"Oh, give me a break already. We have our hands full dealing with these rats. And now, there are also wolves to deal with?!" A crewmember commented with despair seeping into his hearts.

He did not sign up for this when he was assigned to send the two elves home.

Faelyn furrowed her small brows and said, "We might not necessarily need to deal with Wingrats and wolves at the same time."

After all, the beast races were not harmonious with each other.

As Faelyn expected, the wolves soon clashed with Wingrats. They slammed heavily into each other and tore at each other's neck with frenzy.

The same red glint was seen in the wolves' eyes.

"These wolves have also gone berserk! Just what is happening in the Wildlands right now? Is the Cataclysm really coming again?!"

A few soldiers on the Great Wall began to sob.. They were simply too tired of everything that had happened; losing their loved ones, the beast attacks, the struggles, everything.

Chapter 440 - Visitors From The East

Grassland Region, World Tree.

In the high skies above the clouds, two figures are seen fluttering through the air; one young and one old. If anyone saw them, they would have been surprised.

These two people were both Transcendents, but the most surprising point was how young one of them was.

This person had long golden hair, but it was not smooth and silky like the elves. Instead, it was dry and messy. His eyes were blue and sharp, exuding confidence and pride, while his complexion was pale white.

The older Transcendent also had similar defining features, but they were not related by blood. They simply originated from the same group.

They wore similar outfits, strange metallic arm bracelets, and ankle bracelets that swished and swooshed with water inside.

Around their necks was a glowing pendant that emitted a soft red light from time to time while they were flickering through the sky at high speed.

As they were flying past the sky above the World Tree, the younger Transcendent asked, "Elder Gustavo, why don't we stop and check out this giant tree? The air around here is very pleasant—so much better than the ocean breeze."

"Young Master Judas, please do not cause any trouble for this old man. Remember that Master Lucian only permitted us to go check out the situation in the Wildlands to gauge how much time we have left until the eruption of the Cataclysm." Elder Gustavo said.

"We better not cause trouble for the Master. Otherwise, it will be hard for the Master to answer to the High Council."

"Fine, fine. Whatever you say, Elder Gustavo."

Judas took one last glance at the World Tree before leaving the region unwillingly, continuing their forward flight to the west.

At the same time, Elder Evergreen casually glanced up at the sky, in the direction that they had left. He pondered for a moment before standing up from his wooden seat.

"Are you going somewhere, Elder Evergreen?" Lilith asked, noticing the elder was leaving the camp.

Elder Evergreen nodded and said, "I'm going to go on a trip. It might take a few days to weeks before I return. Inform the others of my departure for me."

"You can leave it to me… but why the suddenness?"

"Let us just say I feel like exploring the world a little."

Elder Evergreen gave a light smile before heading off, taking a few steps to disappear into the distance.

Traces of the earth being manipulated was left behind in the form of slanted fist pillars sticking out from the ground.

Before Lilith was able to inquire further, Elder Evergreen was already gone.

"Miss Lilith, there are some things I don't understand about this text. Can you help me translate it?" A scholar walked over and asked.

Lilith pushed her thoughts to the back of her mind before turning to the scholar.

"Alright."

…

Sometime later, Judas and Elder Gustavo continue to fly at high speed in the sky. As they drew closer to the west, the clouds gradually darkened and clumped together.

"Elder Gustavo, it seems like someone is…"

"Breaking through to the Transcendent Realm."

Elder Gustavo said, narrowing his eyes and gazing into the distance.

Judas nodded.

Shortly after, he showed an expression of doubt and said, "However, this does not seem like an ordinary Transcendent Phenomenon. It is way too big!"

They had not realized at first as they were shuttling through the clouds. But once they flew above the clouds or below them, they soon discovered the abnormity of the cloud cluster.

"Right. The grander the Transcendent Phenomenon, the greater the potential of the individual. Whoever is breaking through to the Transcendent Realm either possesses a uniquely powerful element or has unparalleled talent in Awakening Cultivation."

"The biggest Transcendent Phenomenon recorded in the Geyser Kingdom history was said to be around 500 miles. This Transcendent Phenomenon was performed by the High Priest. The Sea Emperor was slightly inferior, amounting to 495 miles. However, this Transcendent Phenomenon has got to be at least 1000 miles big…" Judas stated.

"Haiz…"

Elder Gustav sighed emotionally and said, "Perhaps, in the future, this person will breakthrough into the fabled realm above Transcendent. Unfortunately, we might not have enough time to see it happen. Who knows how many people will survive once the Cataclysm erupts this time?"

"I don't whether the Cataclysm is real or not, but we should befriend and bring this person to the east. The Geyser Kingdom will provide better opportunities to nurture this person."

"Don't even think about it. The Overseers will be watching. We must not interfere with anything in the Crawford Kingdom. We are only going to check the situation in the Wildlands, then return home. Is that clear, Young Master Judas?" Elder Gustavo warned.

Judas shrugged and said with a sighing tone, "Whatever you say, Elder Gustavo."

…

The moment Aria returned from the spiritual memory world, the void-like portal in the eye of the clouds above the Capital collapsed.

The wind grew stronger, swirling the tumultuous whirlpool of cloud in the skies above and sweep objects off their feet on the ground below.

For a moment, the sky brightened from the brilliant flash of lightning, and the world went silent. After that, the deafening crackles of thunder was heard.

Two large streaks of lightning; one blue and one purple, intertwined while descending towards Aria like two coiling dragons.

Boom!

The force of the twin lightning dragon immediately shattered the ground upon impact. Aria's body disappeared in the bright flash of light, and powerful pressure blew away all the surrounding palace guard!

"Aria!" Elizabeth immediately cried out.

"Don't go!" Heinrich held his wife back and warned, "It's too dangerous!"

Elizabeth dropped to her knees and stared at the scene before her in disbelief. It was the first time she witnessed a Transcendent Phenomenon that could potentially kill the person achieving Transcendence.

"How can the baptism from a Transcendent Phenomenon be so powerful?" She muttered.

Other Transcendents would get a baptism in a steady stream of light, but Aria was struck by everything in a single shot instantaneously.

After the twin lightning dragon clashed into Aria's body, they did not get discharged and disperse into the air. Instead, they weaved and coiled around Aria's body like it was trying to strain her while her body hovered in midair.

However, if one looks carefully, the twin lightning dragon did not actually touch Aria's body. There was a tiny gap between them like some invisible spatial force was preventing the two from contacting.

Aria's eyes snapped open with two streaks of tears running down her cheeks, but her expression was determined.

The twin lightning dragons of blue and purple immediately roared as they began to deform and sucked into Aria's glabella like a powerful vacuum.

Once the entirety of the two lightning dragons was devoured into Aria's Ice-Lightning Seed, traces of remnant lightning flickered across her eyes.

Bzzt!

Aria's body slowly descended, and her feet landed on solid ground. A few strips of electricity immediately escaped and ran across the shattered ground like snakes before dispersing into nothing.

Shortly after, Heinrich let go of his wife after determining the situation was safe. Elizabeth shot to her feet and made her way over.

"How are you feeling, Aria? Are you alright? Does it hurt anywhere?" Elizabeth asked with concern.

Aria was confused by Elizabeth's overly concerned and began waving her hands and feet, studying her body's condition.

After determining her body was in perfect condition, she wiped her tears and temporarily pushed her sorrow aside before shaking her head.

"I'm fine, Mother. It does not hurt anywhere."

"Does that mean you're a Transcendent now?" Elizabeth asked with a bit of doubt.

Heinrich also glanced at Aria with suspicion and commented, "Aria's Transcendent Phenomenon was unprecedented. Not only was it big, but the process was also long, and the baptism was instantaneous. However, the power coursing through her body is real. There's no doubt in my mind that Aria has achieved Transcendence successfully."

After Elizabeth sensed the power in Aria's body, she agreed with a nod.

"Try testing your strength, Aria," Elizabeth suggested.

Aria nodded.

She distanced herself from Leon's parents with a few steps and closed her eyes, feeling the power in her body. At this moment, she felt like she was filled with energy and wisdom.

The Ice-Lightning Seed had changed into crystallized form after absorbing all the ice-lightning power from the twin lightning dragons.

However, that was not the only Transcendent Crystal existing within Aria's sea of consciousness. There were vague forms of two other Transcendent Crystals that revolved around the Ice-Lightning Transcendent Crystal.

They were like transparent glasses, an empty shell.

Despite that being the case, they were gradually growing more distinct at a slow but steady rate. The soul core emitted soft particles of light that fluttered over to the two hollow Transcendent Crystals like glitter.

In the sky, the dark clouds were still present.

However, they slowly dissipated after exhausting their power of lightning. Despite that, Aria raised her hand to the sky, and the dispersing dark clouds began to gather once more.

In a short moment, the rumbling thunder was heard, and the flashes of lightning were seen brightening the dark sky.

Bzzt!

A strip of lightning descended and danced around Aria's fingertips harmlessly before zapping around her body playfully like a tamed pet.

The lightning was entirely under her control, and the scene appeared especially beautiful, like Aria was some goddess of lightning.

"Truly extraordinary!"

A distant exclamation was heard.

Judas' eyes lit up when his gaze landed on Aria's fairy-like figure and became enraptured, compelling him to descend from the sky and greet her.

"Young Master Judas!" Elder Gustavo growled in warning, but it was too late.

They had already exposed themselves.

Chapter 441 - Hit And Run

Elizabeth, Heinrich, and Aria turned towards a certain direction in the sky and saw two figures descend from high up in the sky suppression zone.

It did not take long for them to furrow their brows.

It could be immediately understood that these two unexpected guests were extraordinary in both cultivation and background.

After Young Master Judas landed, he simply walked past Elizabeth and Heinrich. They did not enter his eyes as he had his gaze fixated on Aria.

"May I have the honor of learning your name, milady?" Young Master Judas requested, performing a gentlemen bow while reaching out to her hands for a kiss.

However, Aria avoided Young Master Judas' hand and retreated to Elizabeth's side while giving him a cautious look.

"Who are you?" She asked with a frown.

She was evidently displeased that a stranger she was meeting for the first time had tried to touch her.

"My apologies. It was rude of me to act so forwardly, although we just met." Young Master Judas retreated a few steps and introduced, "My name is Judas of the Cortez family. Baron Beau Cortez is my father."

Heinrich and Elizabeth furrowed their brows, obviously never heard of the name Baron beau Cortez, nor the Cortez family.

These two Transcendents were not from their kingdom. However, that did not matter presently. What was important was these two people came uninvited and trespassed on palace ground.

What did they take this place to be? Their backyard?

"We have never heard of the Cortez family, nor the name of your father, Baron Beau Cortez. But regardless of your status and background, it does not give you the right to be here. I suggest we move to the Outer Palace's Great Hall." Heinrich said.

Young Master Judas' good mood dropped at once, hearing someone else was speaking to him while he was awaiting a reply from the name of the beauty in front of him.

"I was not talking to you, insect. Hmph!"

Young Master Judas narrowed his eyes dangerously at Heinrich, who was not even a Transcendent and covered in dirt.

Naturally, Heinrich and Elizabeth had been toiling away at the railway construction for a whole day and had yet to wash after returning.

Without warning, Judas Cortez sent out a water wave and struck the unprepared Heinrich, sending him flying back.

"Heinrich!"

"Father-in-law!"

"Your Majesty!"

"Young Master Judas!"

Numerous people cried out at once.

Aria flashed Young Master Judas a dangerous look before she rushed over with Elizabeth to check on Heinrich's condition.

The King was struck on the shoulder, and a terrible gash could be seen while blooding was pouring out from them. Anger immediately seeped out from Elizabeth's heart.

At the same time, Elder Gustavo appeared by Young Master Judas' side and chided, "I warned you not to cause trouble, Young Master Judas!"

"I apologize for the transgression my Young Master has caused. Please accept this as compensation." Elder Gustavo said to the trio.

A leather bag of unknown contents appeared out of nowhere from Elder Gustavo's ring hand before tossing it over.

Shortly after, Elder Gustavo quickly grabbed Young Master Judas and flew into the sky, fleeing from the palace.

The palace guards rushed over, but they were helpless to stop the two from leaving.

"Hold it right there!" Elizabeth roared furiously, shooting to her feet before taking off in pursuit. "Do you think you can just come and leave as you please after you what you just did?! Where do you think this is?! Who do you think we are?!"

At the same time, Aria used her Ice-Lightning power to seal the gashing wound on Heinrich's should before gazing into the sky with a worrisome expression.

If she knew how to fly, she would have followed Leon's mother and definitely not leave her to chase after two Transcendents on her own.

"Thank you, Aria," Heinrich said with knitted brows, enduring pain in his shoulder as he gazed in the direction his wife left.

Aria shook her head and said, "It is what I should do."

Meanwhile, Elizabeth continued to pursue the two escaping Transcendents.

"Come back here!" Elizabeth roared.

However, she was surprisingly unable to catch up to the two Transcendents!

They flew straight into the sky suppression zone and beyond, but their speed did not decrease!

On the other hand, her speed began to plummet drastically due to the increasing gravitation force weighing down on her, the higher she flew!

It was like the suppressive force in the sky had no effect on these two unknown Transcendents!

In mere moments, Elizabeth lost their trail. She was forced to return empty-handed while the two Transcendent succeeded in their escape.

"Dammit!" Elizbeth cursed in frustration.

…

Some distance away, Young Master Judas struggled in Elder Gustavo's grasp and said, "Do we need to flee like cowards, Elder Gustavo? I can't believe you compensated them with your Interspatial Bag for just a small wound! What did you have in it?"

"What else but everything I owned?!"

Judas Cortez widened his eyes and said, "How could you give them everything?! That making such a big deal out of a small matter! That person was just an insect!"

"An insect?! Are you f*cking kidding me, Young Master Judas?! Do you seriously believe that or are you just playing dumb with me?! Do you think anyone can enter the palace? Did you not hear what those palace guards call that person?! Hmph! I knew I shouldn't have brought you along! Wait until your father heard about this! See if you will still cause trouble then!" Elder Gustavo scolded.

Judas Cortez was immediately startled.

It was the first time he had seen Elder Gustavo so furious with him. Even when he pulled his beard and lit Elder Gustavo's rear on fire through some of his pranks and stunts, the elder was never this furious with him.

He took a moment to recall before he exclaimed, "That person was the king?! How could the ruler of a kingdom be so weak and dirty?!"

"This is not the Geyser Kingdom, Young Master Judas! You do not know the history of this kingdom, so why can't a person with low cultivation like that be the king? As for why he was covered in dirt, that is his business! You have caused by trouble this time, Young Master Judas! Let us hope the Overseer doesn't come after us for this!" Elder Gustavo said.

Judas Cortez's lips twitched, and he could not help but blame his impulse. Even so, he felt it was a pity that he had left so soon. He did not catch enough glimpse of the new Transcendent.

Her beauty had him captivated.

…

Back at the Royal Palace.

"Did you get them, Mother?" Aria quickly asked after seeing Elizabeth returned so soon.

Elizabeth shook her head with disappointment before frowning shortly after and said, "They have some strange ability to ignore the suppression of the sky. I was unable to catch up to them."

Aria was taken aback.

There was something that can help people ignore the suppression of the sky? Why has she not heard about something like this? It seems they were not people from around here…

Aria's brow slowly creased before she asked, "Where do you think they came from, Mother?"

"Probably from the far eastern Geyser Kingdom," Elizabeth said with a frown.

"However, the Geyser Kingdom is far stronger than I have imagined. To think that a Baron family from the Geyser Kingdom would have two Transcendents. The Cortez family is more likely to have more Transcendents than just those two, though."

Heinrich smiled wryly and said, "I cannot imagine how many more Transcendents are hiding within the Geyser Kingdom. I have yet to see it, but I heard a tall earthen wall sealed the Geyser Kingdom off from the rest of the Human Domain."

"That's right." Elizabeth nodded before asking, "How are you feeling?"

"Not bad, but not good either."

Elizabeth gazed at Heinrich's wound that had been sealed through scalding and freezing. It was not exactly a good emergency treatment method, but it was better than nothing.

"We should get your wound properly treated right away." She suggested.

Heinrich gazed at the leather bag on the ground in the distance and said, "Before that, we should take a look at what they left behind for us. Who knows, maybe there will be something good inside."

"I almost forgot about that," Elizabeth said with surprise.

Shortly after, Elizabeth went over to pick up the leather bag and had a glance inside. The contents within the leather bag immediately left her stunned.

"What's inside, my Queen?" Heinrich asked, feeling curious.

Aria also showed a curious look.

"There's a lot of Transcendent Crystals inside along with a few strange items I have never seen before…"

"A lot of Transcendent Crystals? How much can one small bag hold? Unless…"

"It's an Interspatial Storage item."

"Quite generous. I can feel the sincerity in the elder's compensation. It seems he really didn't mean to cause trouble. However, that young man was…" Elizabeth narrowed her eyes coldly.

Heinrich nodded and said, "Quite outrageous. Just another spoiled young master, huh?"

…

Around this time, the active Teleportation Array within Lost Isle Alley suddenly brightened and opened the spatial rift at its center, causing the nearby sentries guarding the area to be surprised.

They immediately drew their weapons in alarm and faced the Teleportation Array with vigilance, not knowing what might be coming out from the spatial rift.

Sometime later, two figures were seen coming out from the spatial rift and slowly descended to the ground below the hovering Teleportation Array within the center of Lost Isle Alley.

Leon glanced around at all swords pointed at him with surprise and said, "Well, this is quite the welcoming. I've only been gone for some days, and you've all forgotten who I am already?"

"Huh?"

The group of elite palace guards was taken aback by Leon's familiar tone, but they could not see his face under the night of the dark sky.

Leon pushed back the Lion-headed cloak, and his face was revealed under the soft cascading moonlight that shone down after the dark clouds cleared.

"Welcome back, Your Highness!"

Chapter 442 - Great Fire Plan

"Y-Your Highness, what happened to you?" A palace guard could not help but ask. Their prince went to the other side with pale skin but came back tanned like chocolate.

"You must have suffered a lot over there, right?"

"Not at all. This is just some color-changing cream I applied to my skin." Leon said amusedly with a shake of his head. Rather, he was the one who caused suffering to others.

After receiving the prince's answer, the palace guard nodded before taking a glance at the person by the prince's side.

"This is…"

Darlene had been hugging close to Leon, never leaving his side. While having her arms wrapped around one of his, she glanced around curiously at her new but dark surroundings.

"So this is the Human Domain… Doesn't seem much different to the Infertile Plains…" Darlene softly muttered.

Leon overheard her and ruffled her hair with a smile before saying, "You haven't seen anything yet. Wait till we leave this place."

"Un." Darlene nodded.

Shortly after, Leon turned to the palace guard and said, "Tell me everything that had happened in my absence."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

The palace guard saluted with honor and began recounting the details to Leon, listing three main points of interest.

The first was the integration of the three kingdoms, forming the soon-to-be Crawford Empire.

The second was the redirection of the railway construction focus to connect the Capital to the World Tree and concentrating resources in the Grassland Region to build a new capital.

Leon listened attentively.

Heinrich's plans to achieve high-speed transportation was no closed secret. After Leon learned about this plan from the palace guard, he was amazed.

His father had some pretty innovative ideas.

After the palace guard finishing informing Leon of the last point, he nodded and said, "Alright. I understand now. You can go back to your post."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

The palace guard left.

Leon glanced up at the skies and saw the dispersing dark clouds. It appeared that Aria's Transcendence was completed not long ago.

Recalling that angelic look, Leon's heart burned with a desire to see her right away.

"Come, I'll show you the Capital on our way to the Royal Palace," Leon said to Darlene.

"Mm."

Darlene quickly hugged close to Leon firmly. He held her around the waist before they both took off into the sky, flying straight to the center of the Capital.

The night sky of the Human Domain was clearer than the Dark Continent, and the Capital was thriving with activity and light.

Darlene's eyes slowly widened as she slowly took in the breathtaking view of the Capital.

The exquisite building infrastructures, designs, and material composition, the billowing smokes from the north, and the gushing springs of the south, everything was new and exciting to her.

More importantly, she had never seen the lush green grasslands before. The world beyond the Capital made her widen her eyes in awe. The grassy hills, fields of crops, and rustling leaves of trees astounded her.

"How is it? Still think the Human Domain is similar to the Infertile Plains?" Leon asked during their flight.

Darlene immediately shook her head and said, "I was wrong. This place is beautiful."

Leon smiled lightly and increased the speed of their flight.

In a short instance, they quickly arrive at the Royal Palace. After spotting a few familiar figures within the Inner Palace, Leon shortly made his way over before descending.

"Mom, dad, Aria. I'm back—"

Leon called out, but he quickly frowned when his gaze fell onto his father, Heinrich's shoulder.

Elizabeth and Aria turned their heads over in surprise.

They were immediately baffled by Leon's appearance. However, after a moment, it was changed to a pleasant surprise when they recognize the person.

"My son!"

"Leon!"

Leon made his way over with Darlene with a deep frown and immediately carried out medical treatment on his father while asking, "What happened here? How did father get hurt like this? Who did it?"

Elizabeth and Aria both had many things to say to Leon, but they could only save it for later, after hearing his strings of questions.

"We were visited by two unexpected Transcendents of unknown origins, claiming to be people from the Cortez family. The younger one attacked your father when he was interrupted while trying to ask for Aria's name… I tried catching them but failed to keep up with them in the sky suppression zone."

Elizabeth began explaining the events that transpired.

After Leon understood everything, traces of anger began sprouting in his heart. Not only did this person had their eyes on his woman, but this person also attacked his father unreasonably.

"Which direction did they go, Mother?" Leon asked with a low tone, suppressing his rage.

Heinrich's wound recovered to a perfect state after Leon applied some Tier 3 Golden Ointment and further boost the recovery speed with Wood Energy.

"Don't bother chasing them, son. These two Transcendents have deep backgrounds. Although the young one was rash, I am fine in the end. Besides, the older Transcendent has given us rich compensation." Heinrich said before adding, "Most importantly, you have not achieved Transcendences yet. It's not too late to look for them when you are stronger."

"So, we should just let them go, running around our kingdom as they please? I cannot accept that!" Leon stomped the ground with a loud boom, causing a deep imprint on the metallic floor.

How could he let go of someone who blatantly trespasses on palace grounds, attacking royalty and harming his father?

"I will make that person pay for what he did to you, father!" Leon said with a tightly clenched fist.

The shockwave of the stomp startled everyone around him. Only Darlene was not surprised by his brute strength. As a denizen of the Dark Continent, she had seen far greater physical prowess coming from humans.

"It seems you have made great improvement in your strength while you were on the other side of the Teleportation Array. It was my bad for underestimating you, son." Heinrich apologized.

Shortly after, he added, "However, I still think you should not pursue them and just drop the matter. Those people are most likely from the Geyser Kingdom, which we know next to nothing about. These past couple hundred years had allowed them to grow far more prosperously than we could ever imagine."

"Aria."

Leon glanced at Aria for an answer, seeing that his parents were unwilling to divulge the two foreign Transcendents' direction.

"They went that way…" Aria pointed towards the western direction after a moment of hesitation. She did not want to go against Leon's wishes.

"Thank you."

Leon was gratified, giving her a soft peck on the forehead. Her heart melted instantly, despite the pressure of Leon's parents gazing at them.

A deep blush hung on her cheeks.

"Please take care of Darlene for me… She is… Ahem, another sister I brought home."

Leon did not explain much bursting forth into the direction of the west, pursuing after the two foreign Transcendents that had long left.

He did not stick around long enough to notice a few subtle changes to Aria, while Darlene was left behind to fend for herself without much choice.

"Heinrich…"

"Elizabeth…"

Elizabeth and Heinrich cuddled each other while they watched their son leave with incredible speed and sighed pensively.

Aria arrived by their side and apologized with her head lowered. However, they shook their heads in response.

"It's fine, Aria. It would not have been easy to change his decision once he sets his mind on something." Elizabeth said.

"When children grow up, they will learn to make their own decision. It's unfortunate that our son has already sprouted his wings before we could watch him grow." Heinrich sighed.

Shortly after, Aria returned her attention to Darlene, who stood frozen like a wooden block, not knowing what to do.

"Hi, I'm Aria."

Aria was open-minded and took the initiative to greet warmly, causing Darlene to be overjoyed immediately.

She was not getting ostracized and treated coldly like some outsider. Her apprehension was dispelled instant under Aria's warm and gentle aura.

"Hello, Big Sister Aria! I am Darlene. Please take care of me from now on!"

After they shook hands enthusiastically, Elizabeth and Heinrich switched their attention to Darlene sometime later, after Leon was long gone.

Darlene immediately felt tensed under their stares.

"These two are…" Aria began introducing Leon's parents to her.

…

Western Frontier, Great Wall.

The battle continued to rage on between the rats and wolves.

Fleshes were torn, and blood was spilled; the two sides fought ferociously and desperately in a frenzied manner.

The rats were weak and numerous, while the wolves were fewer in numbers but stronger. Despite the differences, both sides were equally matched, one way or another.

While the two sides were busied fighting each other, General Marquis Hendrick directed the soldiers to reclaim the Great Wall's central region.

Barrels of oils were transported over from their warehouse. Despite the fact that their reserves were running low, General Marquis Hendrick did not hesitate to sacrifice all their fuel to start a great fire.

"Quickly, move it! The pungent stench of blood is strong, and the night blows west! We must be quick before more beasts are attracted to the Great Wall!"

"Move, move, move! Move it, men! Put your back into it!"

The barrels were huge, enough for two soldiers to roll them side by side atop the Great Wall.

As a high-ranking soldier directed, a group of soldiers could be seen rolling oil barrels.

At the same time, another team was in charge of gathering firewood, sticks, branches, and anything that can be used to further fuel the fire-to-be.

They were exhausted. Their limbs felt like leads while sweat soaked their bodies. Each step was a great struggle, but they pressed forward, nonetheless.

They had to do what must be done.

Chapter 443 - I'll Kill You!

Suddenly, one of the soldiers stumbled, and the large barrel slipped out of their control.

"Oh, no!" The soldier cried out loud.

However, a steady hand was firmly placed on the rolling oil barrel, bringing its forward momentum to a stop.

"Be careful. These are currently precious resources."

"Thank you, General Dales! I will be more careful next time, sir!"

Brigadier-General Dales nodded and urged with an encouraging tone, "Keep up the good work!"

"Yes, sir!"

The soldiers continued to roll the barrels to the designated spot.

Meanwhile, on the edge of the Great Wall's central region, the General Marquis and Supreme Elder gazed down at the battlefield below.

"These Wingrats are endless." Supreme Elder Haldir's brows furrowed deeply.

The number of Wingrats slaughtered already numbered in the hundreds of thousands, but their army showed no sign of reducing.

In the end, the wolves were too few in numbers. They were slowly being overwhelmed by the Wingrat's immense numbers. For each wolf, there would be hundreds to a thousand Wingrats ganging on it.

"Wingrats, huh? Is that what you call them? However, these wolves will not last. We need to do something about these rats. There's too many of them." General Marquis Hendrick commented before pondering deeply for a solution.

The Supreme Elder nodded.

If the situation were already this bad, he could not imagine what the case was for the Wildlands and Great Forest. He needed to check on his tribe and could not stay for long.

As Supreme Elder Haldir controlled the thorny vines to continue lacerating the Wingrats pouring out of the rathole, he thought out loud, "The Wingrats are only coming from the underground. If we can toss a great fire inside and plug up the rathole, we could suffocate them all to death."

"These Wingrats are pouring out of the rathole ceaselessly. It will be too difficult to put a good fire inside from there…" General Marquis stated before his eyes flickered with a solution. "However, it is easier to start it from the underground sewage system while they are still distracted by the wolves."

The underground passage was connected to the sewage system after the Wingrats burrowed their way through.

Even if they do not plan to smoke the rats, they had to seal that passageway. Otherwise, the endless tides of rats would pour into the Crawford Kingdom after they are done with the wolves.

"Then we better do it quickly. Those wolves won't last much longer." Supreme Elder Haldir stated.

"Without a doubt."

General Marquis Hendrick nodded before roaring, "Attention, men!"

"Yes, General!"

The surrounding soldiers immediately stopped and gave the General Marquis their rapt attention, awaiting further instruction.

"Change of plans. We will direct half of the fire and fuel resources to the central sewage system." General Marquis Hendrick said.

After that, he selected the strongest batch of surviving soldiers to follow him into the sewage system and locate the underground hole. Once he completed issuing his orders, he returned his attention to the Supreme Elder.

"Please take care of things here, Marquis Haldir." General Marquis Hendrick requested.

"Naturally."

Supreme Elder Haldir nodded.

General Marquis Hendrick left the Great Wall shortly after receiving the Supreme Elder's confirmation.

Sometime later, the Elder Gustavo and Young Master Judas arrived at the Great Wall. While they were flying high in the sky, they overlooked the situation below.

"It is as father predicted. It is not just the sea monsters that have become frenzied. Even the beasts in the west have gone crazy. This means that…"

Elder Gustavo nodded with a solemn look and said, "Right. These signs have confirmed it. The Cataclysm will indeed happen, and the world shall be plunged into a great upheaval once more."

"But we do know what kind of change the Cataclysm will bring to the world this time. The last Cataclysm pushed forward the evolution of all beings while the one before that ended the world. This next Cataclysm could bring us good fortune. Of course, it could also be the end of all life."

"Well. Looking at this scene right now, does Young Master Judas think the Cataclysm will bring good fortune to humanity?" Elder Gustavo asked with narrowed eyes.

Judas Cortez frowned.

"It's too early to tell. In the beginning stages of the last Cataclysm, it was said that the beasts also went on a rampage—"

"However, that is the beginning stages of the Cataclysm after the world brightened from the sun's powerful solar flare. Right now, that had yet to happen, Young Master Judas." Elder Gustavo corrected.

"Listen to the High Priest's prediction. Nothing good will come out of this Cataclysm. Since we have already seen what we came to see, we should return to the Cortez Fiefdom, Young Master Judas. I doubt the Overseer welcomes our presence here that much."

"You don't want to lend these people a hand, Elder Gustavo?" Young Master Judas asked, feeling somewhat unwilling to return after going such a long way to reach the Great Wall.

It was the first time he saw the Wildlands, even if he was only glimpsing at a small part of it from a distance.

Elder Gustavo shook his head.

"Why do we have to help them? They are doing fine on their own. Our intervention will only bring us unnecessary troubles."

"Didn't I cause some trouble back in the palace? I should make amends for my mistake by giving their people some help." Young Master Judas said, but there was no chivalrous glint in his eyes. Instead, there was only disdain when he looked at the weak humans below.

Elder Gustavo frowned immediately.

"Please do not cause any more trouble for me, Young Master Judas. Have you forgotten what you promised me before we set out? Just because there are few Transcendents here, it does not mean we can act as we please. The people above are ever watching." He lectured.

Elder Gustavo had seen Judas grow and knew what his character was like. Most likely, Young Master Judas only wanted to flaunt his strength in front of the people below.

However, they were only at the early stages of Preliminary Accession Transcendent Realm. This was nothing to boast about, much less in the Geyser Kingdom.

"Hm?"

Young Master Judas' attention was suddenly grabbed by something, causing him to turn his head to look. After a slight furrow, he immediately smiled, "They can handle rats and wolves, but what if a Transcendent-level lion beast joins the fray? They will definitely need our help then."

"What do you mean…?"

Elder Gustavo frowned, following Young Master Judas' gaze to see a 'lion' flying towards the Great Wall at shocking speed from a much lower altitude than them.

Since when could lions fly?

"Young Master Judas, that is not a Transcendent-level beast—!" Elder Gustavo tried to warn, but it was too late.

Judas Cortez had already flown over and shot a water slash directly at the 'lion.' The so-called lion was precisely Leon in his lion-headed cloak!

"Hm?"

The water slash was very fast!

In a short instance, the water slash closed most of the distance by the time Leon realized something was shooting at him! However, a brief moment was all he needed to evade the attack!

Swoosh!

Space slightly distorted while Leon twisted his body slightly, allowing the water slash to zoom past him. Even so, the tips lion-head cloak was nipped slightly, but no real damage was done to his Enchanted Equipment.

Leon's high-speed flight was brought to an abrupt stop before he looked up coldly.

"Unexpectedly, the person I was looking for would come throwing himself at me." Leon eyed the person above him with a sharp glint. Only the people he was looking, could fly so high up and with such ease as his mother had described.

The Tier 4 Bone Spear immediately appeared in his grasp.

At the same time, Young Master Judas paused with surprise after Leon glanced up at him. Unexpectedly, it was a person and not a Transcendent-level beast.

"Wait. Hold up, this was a mistake—"

Swoosh!

Veins bulged on Leon's arm before he threw the Tier 4 Bone Spear at Young Master Judas without much care for what the person was saying.

Since the person wanted a fight, it was a fight he was going to get!

The bone spear zoomed through the sky, heading for Young Master Judas at a greater velocity than this own water slash!

"Young Master Judas, look out!" Elder Gustavo warned at the top of his lungs, rushing over quickly while knowing full well he would not make it.

"Sh*t!"

Young Master Judas cursed, sensing the threatening power of the bone spear shooting straight at him. He immediately retreated while conjuring his best defense!

A wall appeared in front of him, spiraling at highspeed! Water Shield, it was one of the Water Awakener's most fundamental skill for defending!

However, the bone spear penetrated the Water Shield like paper! Young Master Judas widened his eyes in shock when the bone spear continued with great momentum and directly pierce through his body armor!

"What?!"

Elder Gustavo's eyes immediately bulged at the sight of the bone spear shooting straight through the young master's body armor.

That was a runic-enhanced armor!

By the time Elder Gustavo reached Young Master Judas's side, a hole had been punctured through his stomach! Although it was not a fatal shot, it caused Young Master Judas' face to be pale.

"Young Master Judas, are you alright?" Elder Gustavo asked with concern.

Judas Cortez glanced down at the hole in his stomach dumbfoundedly. Since he was young, when had he ever suffered such a terrible injury?

His shock quickly transformed into rage. His attack was a misunderstanding, but this person wanted his life! That was unacceptable!

He glared at Leon and furiously roared, "I'm going to kill you!"

Chapter 444 - A Beast In Human Skin?

"Don't be rash, Young Master Judas! This person is not simple! Please tend to your injury first!" Elder Gustavo stopped Judas Cortez from blindly charging at the enemy before them.

"I know!" Young Master Judas said.

He took out a pill bottle from his Interspatial Storage before popping a pill from the bottle into his mouth. His wounds began to heal at a naked rate.

Leon's pupils shrank at this sight.

At the same time, Elder Gustavo stepped in front of Young Master Judas, shielding him from any further attacks from the enemy before them.

Leon had been ready to follow-up on his attack, giving the person to quarters to rest. However, he froze upon hearing the person's name.

Why did this person from the Cortez family have the same name as that person? Even son, it gave him another reason to dislike this person.

The Tier 4 Bone Spear flew upward with significant momentum, shooting into the distant skies before the increasing pressure of abnormal gravitational force brought it plunging back down.

Leon extended his divine senses, reclaiming the Tier 4 Bone Spear with Divine Will as soon as it fell into his range.

Seeing the bone spear flew into Leon's grasp, Elder Gustavo's eyes widened with surprise. What kind of Elemental Awakener was this? A Bone Awakener? Was there such a thing?

While Elder Gustavo and Young Master Judas were dumbfounded by Leon's ability, he spun the bone spear in his hand and took a battle stance.

His eyes shortly brightened with a flick of indomitable spirit before he kicked the air and launched himself forward.

Elder Gustavo immediately had a solemn look.

He quickly flicked his wrist, summoning a sword and small gourd. The gourd was uncapped before black water flowed out, weaving around Elder Gustavo's blade.

After that, he defended against Leon's attack by shooting the black water out in a spiraling manner.

Leon used [Nine Echoes] and [Divine Will Augmentation], bursting forth with a strength of 200 thousand jins in his strike.

However, the black water was bizarre.

Under Elder Gustavo's manipulation, the black water was like a whirlpool of countless snakes, wrapping around Leon's bone spear and quickly draining away the force of his spear strike.

By the time Leon's strike reached Elder Gustavo, the force of his attack was already reduced to a level that could be deflected with the elder's sword.

At the same time, Elder Gustavo summoned another body of black water from the gourd, forming a Water Fist that struck Leon square on the chest and sent him flying back.

"Please wait, young friend! Everything was a misunderstanding! My young master had mistaken you for a Transcendent-level beast!" Elder Gustavo spoke.

If one look carefully, his sword hand was shaking slightly.

Although Elder Gustavo had dispelled most of the force, the remaining raw strength was still able to make his hand numb.

Young Master Judas was displeased immediately.

"There's no misunderstanding, Elder Gustavo! He tried to kill me! And for that, he has to die for me!"

"No, Young Master Judas! That is because you attacked first!" Elder Gustavo roared, feeling deeply frustrated by the young master's impulsiveness.

Without speaking further words, Young Master Judas had shot towards Leon. A gourd was summoned, and similar black water poured out from its uncapped lid, revolving around Young Master Judas' body like a layer of armor.

Another body of black water flowed to Young Master Judas' hand and formed a long black water lance that squirmed and vibrated at high frequency.

At the same time, Leon's body came to a stop in midair some distance away after the Water Fist's momentum was expended.

His inwards were slightly shaken, but he was fine otherwise.

'It seems I need to quickly consolidate my viscera… otherwise, it will become my weakness.'

Leon's pupil shrank slightly, feeling confused by his clash with Elder Gustavo. His strength was obviously greater, but his attack was still skillfully parried.

Obviously, these people were not simple and had some pretty impressive skills.

Nevertheless, he did not have time to ponder further. He gripped his bone spear tightly and lunged back at the approaching enemy.

Young Master Judas abruptly stopped and retreated with a frown after seeing Leon shuttling through the skies towards him with ease.

They were not deep within the sky suppression zone, but it was the sky suppression zone, nonetheless! How was this person able to move with such ease without any assisting equipment?!

Young Master Judas quickly threw his Blackwater Lance at Leon's fast approaching figure before quickly conjuring a new one in its place.

The Blackwater Lance zipped through the air swiftly with a strange buzzing noise.

Leon's eyes narrowed.

He lashed out with his bone spear without holding back. He did not dare to underestimate his enemy and used all his strength.

The powerful spear swing clashed with the Blackwater Lance and slapped it away. However, the Blackwater Lance did not break surprisingly under his strength.

Instead, only its trajectory was only changed as it flew away while emitting a droning noise.

Leon frowned before sweeping away the second Blackwater Lance.

A similar scene played out.

It was like being tossed into a raging river. His spear was able to make a splash before it was carried away by the river current.

If not for his firm grip, perhaps his weapon would have flown out of his hands.

"Stop fighting!"

"Piss off!"

Elder Gustavo attempted to get in between the fight, but he was swept aside by Leon's bone spear. If not for his quick reaction to defend himself, he would have been cleaved in half.

"Who are you, young friend? Isn't it better to put down the hatchet and befriend each other instead? Your strength is impressive for your age." Elder Gustavo said with a sigh, trying to persuade Leon.

However, Leon sneered, "You want to be my friend? That is fine. Just let me kill this mongrel first!"

Elder Gustavo's expression stiffened immediately.

"There's no use talking to this person! He wants to kill me, Elder Gustavo! Quickly help me kill him!" Young Master Judas urged, tossing out another two condensed Blackwater Lances.

Leon immediately swept them away.

However, he heard a droning noise from behind and quickly turned around. The previously thrown Blackwater Lances came zooming back towards him under Young Master Judas' control.

After the other two Blackwater Lances shot into the distance, they returned sometime later and pursued Leon like a homing projectile. In the end, Leon was repeatedly assaulted by four Blackwater Lances.

No matter how many times he swept them away, they would come crashing back after him. Leon furrowed deeply with frustration.

'What kind of water is this?'

At the same time, Elder Gustavo and Young Master Judas were shocked by Leon's display of brute strength.

"Who the hell are you, really? Are you sure you are not some beast in human skin?!" Young Master Judas interrogated.

"Who am I? How ridiculous! You came to my kingdom and assaulted my father, the king of this kingdom, yet you still ask who I am?!"

Elder Gustavo was immediately stunned by Leon's words.

Young Master Judas was considered a prodigy within the Geyser Kingdom's younger generation.

Elder Gustavo did not expect the Crawford Kingdom would have someone who could compete with Young Master Judas on equal footing, much less the prince of the Crawford Kingdom.

Even so, was this person really the crown prince of the Crawford Kingdom? He looked like someone from the Ishaan Kingdom.

Did the queen have an affair?

If Leon and his parents knew the thoughts of Elder Gustavo, they would hunt him down to the ends of the earth.

"You're the Crawford Kingdom's crown prince? We have already apologized and given you compensation for the troubles we have caused. Why are you still coming after us?" Elder Gustavo asked with a frown.

Leon glanced at them coldly and sneered, "Do you think some compensation is enough to drop the matter? Do we look like beggars to you? You look down on us too much!"

"You're the Crawford Kingdom's crown prince? Who are you kidding! I would believe it if you said you were the prince of the Ishaan Kingdom instead!"

Leon turned his gaze to Young Master Judas and smiled coldly, saying nothing. It was a waste of breath explaining to a dead man.

While they exchanged words, they never stopped fighting.

Leon continued to deflect Young Master Judas' Blackwater Lances while Elder Gustavo watched from the side with a hesitant look. He could not stop them, but he could not help Young Master Judas kill the Crawford Kingdom's crown prince either.

Why were these two going at each other's necks like they were mortal enemies even though they just met? Were they destined to be rivals due to their high talents?

"Hmph!"

Young Master Judas snorted after being ignored. He conjured another two Blackwater Lances and targeted Leon with all six Blackwater Lances.

Leon furrowed his brows slightly while he was pushed back by the six Blackwater Lances. Even so, Judas was not finished.

Judas continued to conjure more and more Blackwater Lances, firing them at Leon one after the other. He was bent on killing the person before him.

Leon did not expect Early-stage Preliminary Accession Transcendents to give him so much trouble. He figured that no early Transcendents would be his match with his increased strength, but he was wrong.

The Geyser Kingdom was full of surprises. It was a place filled with experts.

Even so, he had not utilized everything.

'It seems I have to fight seriously.' Leon thought.

Flames burst forth from Leon's body before weaving around his bone spear and cloaked it in flame, augmenting the bone spear with the power of fire.

"Let's go again!" Leon roared with an indomitable spirit.

On the side, Elder Gustavo's expression immediately turned serious.

Chapter 445 - Intense Killing Intent

Back in the Capital, Aria was a bit absentminded shortly after Leon left while she was still in the Inner Palace grounds with Elizabeth, Heinrich, and Darlene.

Elizabeth noticed and said with a smile, "Aria, you don't need to stay here with us. If you want to chase after Leon, go for it."

"But Leon asked me to look after…" Aria said hesitantly while looking at Darlene.

"It's fine. Leave Darlene with us and go." Elizabeth smiled and helplessly said, "Someone needs to keep him in check. Otherwise, he will force all the maids and guards out of the palace for his wives and children one day."

Darlene's face immediately reddened. She lowered her head in shame.

However, Elizabeth walked over and comforted her, "Don't worry. I am not blaming you. It is just that my son is... He is… Well, sigh. Never mind. You'll see."

"Then… I'll be off?" Aria asked hesitantly in confirmation.

"Go."

Elizabeth and Heinrich nodded.

"Thank you, mother, father."

Once Aria received the Queen and King's confirmation, she turned her sight in the western direction.

Cold lightning began seeping out of her body slowly, contrary to ordinary lightning that would dance and sparkle everywhere—no, the ice-lightning was more tamed.

Even so, after the white ice-lightning cloaked Aria's body, her aura immediately surged wildly as the ice-lightning behave erratically and actively.

Boom!

Aria disappeared into the distance in a single instance like a zap of lightning! The power of ice-lightning allowed her to travel and incredible speed, breaking the sound barrier!

She left behind a trail of remnant static electricity that sparkled in the chilled air.

"Incredible…"

Darlene was awed.

She had never seen someone move so quickly. Even Chief Valencia was incapable of moving this fast… Were all her hubby's women this capable? If so, her abilities were nothing in comparison.

Darlene silently compared herself to Aria and felt despondent.

She was not the only one surprised by Aria's speed. Elizabeth and Heinrich were equally astounded. It was also their first-time seeing Aria's move at lightning speed after achieving Transcendence.

Lightning Transcendents—No, Ice-Lightning Transcendents appeared to be extremely powerful! Elizabeth began to ponder whether the idea of single-element mastery was too rigid.

How did Aria achieve the fusion of the Ice and Lightning to become an Ice-Lightning Transcendent? The power of elemental fusion was nothing to scoff at.

'Perhaps, I should consider fusing the metal and fire elements to achieve something greater.' Elizabeth silently mused.

However, it was only a passing thought. She shortly pushed it behind her before smiling warmly at Darlene.

"Come, tell me more about yourself and everything that has happened on the other side. How did you meet my son?" Elizabeth tugged at Darlene, wanting to pull her over to the stone table and seats in the short distance.

However, Heinrich paused her.

"Perhaps, we should consider washing up first." He suggested.

Elizabeth glanced at their dirty faces and soiled clothes and chuckled lightly, agreeing with Heinrich's suggestion, "True, we should wash up first."

"Darlene, was it? Let us chat later, alright?" Elizabeth said.

Darlene nodded obediently, thinking she was not in any position to refuse. She wanted to leave a good impression on Leon's parents.

"Men!" Elizabeth summoned.

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

A few palace guards quickly stepped forward, awaiting her orders.

"Escort Darlene to the prince's courtyard and get some maids to help arrange for her accommodations there," Elizabeth ordered.

"Right away, Your Majesty!"

"Miss Darlene, this way, please." The palace guard politely gestured.

After Darlene left with the palace guards, Heinrich walked over and said, "My wife, hehe, you know it's been quite a long time since we were intimate…"

"What about it, Heinrich?"

Elizabeth looked back at her husband strangely, finding his body gestures to be rather odd and suspicious.

Heinrich glanced around before pulling himself closer to Elizabeth's ear and whispered, "How about we go wash together—Aiyo~!"

Heinrich exclaimed after Elizabeth pinched his waist.

"Don't even think about it."

"Haiz… wifey, I am still a man in my prime. Men need to do these kinds of things often to relieve their stress. If you are unwilling, I might end up finding mistress to do it with."

"You dare?!" Elizabeth immediately glared.

Heinrich choked on his words and awkwardly coughed, "Ahem, I was only joking. Of course, I only have you in my eyes."

"Hmph! That better be the case!"

Elizabeth stormed off.

Heinrich was in between tears and laughter as he looked towards the west and sighed, 'Haiz… my son, do you know how much your father envies you?'

…

While the battle between the rats and wolves raged outside the Great Walls, Leon continued to confront the two foreign Transcendents in the skies.

The intensity of Leon's flames immediately made Elder Gustavo alarmed.

Although it was not at the Transcendental level, the flame will still reduce the young master's water element advantage.

"Be careful, Young Master Judas! This person is very dangerous!" Elder Gustavo warned vigilantly, uncertain of how much ability the Crawford Kingdom's crown prince was still hiding.

Unexpectedly, this person was a dual Awakener and Body Refiner!

"Hmph!"

Young Master Judas immediately snorted and said, "Instead of warning me, why don't you help me quickly dispose of this person?! Otherwise, I will report to my father that you simply watched while I was fighting for my life when we get back!"

"Why must you make things difficult for this old man? You know we cannot kill this person! Otherwise, it will invite disaster upon not only ourselves but also the Cortez household!"

"If we get rid of all the evidence, who will know—?!"

Young Master Judas' expression abruptly changed as Leon lunged at him, swiftly disposing of his Blackwater Lances.

The moment the Blackwater Lances contacted Leon's flaming bone spear, they ended in mutual destruction, exploding into water vapor! The fire was extinguished while blackwater was vaporized in an instant!

With a quick flick of his wrist, Leon's bone spear was cloaked in flame once more as he continued to close the distance between him and Young Master Judas.

Young Master Judas retreated higher into the sky suppression zone while tossing out Blackwater Lances consecutively to halt Leon's advances.

However, each Blackwater Lances continued to burst into water vapor upon contact with Leon's flaming bone spear!

"Elder Gustavo!" Young Master Judas cried out.

Swoosh!

Elder Gustavo immediately made a move the moment he sensed the young master was in grave danger. He conjured several Blackwater Lances of his own and shot them towards Leon's back.

Leon was forced to halt his advance to defend against the water projectiles.

Boom! Boom!

The Blackwater Lances exploded into water vapor continuously!

Leon's flaming bone spear was like an undying candlelight, refusing to be completely snuffed out. No matter how many times it gets extinguished, it will reignite brilliantly.

In truth, Leon was quickly depleting his energy reserves through this method.

He narrowed his eyes and wondered how the two Transcendents were able to fly in the sky suppression zone while he had to rely on Divine Will to block the gravitational force bearing down on him.

In a short instance, his eyes landed on the pendant blinking with red light and adorned by both foreign Transcendents.

'Is this the reason?'

Leon's pupil shrank.

His divine sense spread over, and he immediately noticed a faint red barrier covering their bodies. The pendant shortly became his target.

At the same time, Elder Gustavo reached Young Master Judas' side.

"You finally decided to help me. You should have helped from the start!" Judas Cortez said, feeling his heart thumped with a bit of fear.

He started to feel humiliated that someone else among the younger generation could make him feel like this. Staring at the person, his killing intent intensified.

"Hmph! We would not be in this mess if you had controlled your impulse and not strike the king!"

"How would I know if he was the king or not?"

Young Master Judas defended irresponsibly, unwilling to accept his mistake. He believed the fault lies in the other party for looking like some poor and dirty servant.

"So Young Master thinks it's fine to hit people if they weren't the king of a kingdom?" Elder Gustavo said gloomily while his eyes never left the enemy in front of them, vigilant of any sudden attacks.

"What's wrong with stepping on a few insects if they are insects?"

Young Master Judas's last words made Elder Gustavo sigh. He was utterly disappointed in his household's young master. This was a problem of excessive pampering since young.

"Never mind. Let us get rid of this person quickly and return to the kingdom before the Overseer discovers us."

"I was just waiting for those words! Don't you dare hold back, Elder Gustavo! The quicker we kill him, the better!" Judas Cortez said.

Elder Gustavo snorted and said, "This person is extraordinarily powerful, physically. Do not engage in close combat with him. We will pincer from the front and behind with our water lances, understood?"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it."

Elder Gustavo and Judas Cortez spoke in a low voice, but they did not know that everything had been overhead by Leon.

Leon suddenly smirked.

He retracted the flame from his bone spear and retreated, knowing that the two Transcendents were intent on killing him.

"He's running! He must have exhausted his power! This is our chance to kill him!" Judas Cortez shouted excitedly, taking Leon's bait, and immediately gave chase.

"You fool!" Elder Gustavo roared.

If the opponent gave up hunting down the young master, they should just take the chance to leave! Why was the young master hellbent on killing this person?!

Elder Gustavo felt helpless, but he still flew in pursuit right after the young master.

Chapter 446 - Fleeing

Young Master Judas and Elder Gustavo chased after Leon in the skies, descending closer to the ground.

At that moment, they were several thousands of feet in the sky. However, their speed could not be compared to Leon.

While they had the protective bubble generated by their treasured pendant, Leon had removed the Divine Will Barrier shielding his body from the gravitational force of the sky, allowing himself to plunge at great speed.

Nevertheless, Leon did not increase the distance between him and the two foreign Transcendents and even shortened it steadily, giving them the faint illusion that they were faster than him.

Shortly after, Young Master Judas and Elder Gustavo drew close enough, they began conjuring numerous Blackwater Lances.

In a short instance, their combined lances numbered thirty before they were shot at Leon.

"Die!!!"

Young Master Judas roared with red eyes due to the strain on his mind from controlling fifteen Blackwater Lances.

Elder Gustavo was stronger than Young Master Judas and was slightly better off, but it was clear that they were going all out to kill Leon.

The Blackwater Lances zoomed through the skies, closing quickly on Leon's back. However, Leon did not clash with the Blackwater Lances.

He simply evaded every one of them before suddenly halting his retreat, turning around to closed the distance on Young Master Judas.

"Be careful, young master!" Elder Gustavo warned. The change happened abruptly, causing him to fail to react in time.

Young Master Judas' expression immediately fell while his pupils shrank. In his field of vision, Leon's bone spear headed straight for his head.

His Blackwater Armor immediately shifted their defense and concentrated towards his head. Simultaneously, Judas drew a sword from his ring hand and counteracted it with a slash at Leon's neck.

The Tier 4 Bone Spear suddenly ignited in flames and clashed with the blackwater, causing another miniature explosion of water vapor.

Young Master Judas' head tilted from the impact and narrowly evaded the deadly bone spear as it grazed his forehead.

Leon immediately narrowed his eyes, discovering two thin layers of flesh from the slight graze of his spear; one real and one fake layer of flesh.

This person was hiding his real face!

At the same time, he blocked Young Master Judas' pitifully weak sword strike with his bare hands. Young Master Judas' eyes bulged in shock immediately.

How robust must this person's flesh be to withstand the sharp blade of his sword?!

"What!!!" He exclaimed.

"Young Master!"

At the same time, Elder Gustavo roared while shooting over, hacking at Leon's back with his sword infused in high-pressured blackwater, which vibrated at extremely high-speed like some razor blade.

Leon twisted his body, sweeping out with his bone spear that reignited into a great blazing fire. The two weapons clashed and offset each other, exploding in water vapor.

Elder Gustavo's arms broke from the clash.

His body was swept away by the force of Leon's bone spear while he, himself, borrowed the momentum to weave around to Young Master Judas' back before extending his hand out.

Leon wanted to peel off the person's fake face and see his true appearance; however, he suppressed his urge and curiosity.

His hand immediately snatched the treasured pendant and ripped it away from Young Master Judas' neck.

"Is this the secret to flying freely in the sky suppression zone? Quite an interesting tool! Let us see how you fare without it!" Leon said.

He immediately giving Young Master Judas' back a strong kick shortly after.

Ding!

He felt like he had kicked a thick iron plate.

Even so, he still felt and heard something crack from the person!

Boom!

Young Master Judas wailed as he was shot, plunging down towards the surface with incredible velocity!

"Young Master!" Elder Gustavo roared.

Elder Gustavo came flying back, shooting straight after the falling young master. Even so, his movement was inferior to Young Master Judas' plunging speed!

"Break your fall, Young Master!" Elder Gustavo roared in warning, knowing he would not be able to catch up to his young master.

"Uarghhh!"

Young Master Judas roared with gritted teeth, forcing his bloodshot eyes to open against the wind resistance blasting his face.

At the same time, he endured the pain of his broken back and tried to break his fall. Even if he was fully equipped in runic armor, he would still plunge to his death if he fails to slow down his fall!

Kacha! Kacha!

"Arghhh!!!"

Young Master Judas wailed painfully.

His weak limbs immediately broke from going against the strong momentum propelling him downwards! Even so, he gritted his teeth hard and continued to slow down his fall!

The momentum reduced, but he was still dropping too quickly! Knowing he could not break his fall completely, he braced himself for impact!

All the remaining blackwater in his gourd was poured out, forming a vast bubbly body of water before him to act as a cushion!

Boom!

Young Master Judas slammed through the bubbly body of blackwater and into the ground, causing a slight tremor in the earth.

All the bones in his body shattered, damaging his organs, and causing him to cough out a puddle of blood.

"Young Master!"

Elder Gustavo's roar could still be heard in the sky while quickly drawing closer. Shortly after landing beside Young Master Judas, he took out a medicinal pill and popped it into the young master's mouth.

"Let us quickly leave, young master! This person is too powerful and devious! He actually lured us into thinking his energy is expended to lower our guard!" Elder Gustavo said, shortly picking up the young master to flee with his unbroken arm.

Young Master Judas' face was pale. He did not utter a word nor nod his head, but the emotions in his eyes showed that he agreed with Elder Gustavo's suggestion.

Back in the sky, Leon narrowed his eyes.

'These medicinal pills must at least be around Tier 4 or above! How could they get their hands on such high-quality spirit medicinal pills?' Leon pondered.

Nevertheless, he did not think too deeply while the enemy was trying to get away.

Leon stored the pendant away before shooting straight down at his enemies! He knew better than to let his enemies live!

Swoosh!

Leon tore through the air, closing in quickly on the two foreign Transcendents from the sky.

At the same time, the two Transcendents had been in the middle of the military city when they landed. Their appearance immediately caused confusion amongst the busy soldiers.

Only Supreme Elder Haldir had been aware of the two Transcendents' presence when they arrived and fought in the sky.

Even so, he did not try to intervene in their battle.

Not only could he not fly, but he also did not know who the two Transcendents were, nor who they were fighting. They had been too distant for him to confirm their identities.

In the end, they arrived in closer proximity, but Supreme Elder Haldir still could not guess who they were after seeing their faces. He had not seen them before.

Since they did not come to help, it would be better that they leave without causing trouble.

Meanwhile, Elder Gustavo sensed Leon's quickly approaching figure and shouted, "Young friend, isn't it better to leave a way out for everyone?! Do not push us too far!"

At the same time, Elder Gustavo increased his speed and dragged Young Master Judas along with him.

The medicinal pill was very effective!

Moments ago, Young Master Judas was on the brink of death! However, it only took a few breathes to mend his broken body and return a lively flush to his face!

Even so, he no longer had the will to continue fighting, regardless of whether he still had secret moves he had yet to use. It was not worth it!

Young Master Judas blamed his impulsiveness.

Who knew that someone below the Transcendent Realm would be so difficult to kill when there were two of them? They should have escaped when they had the chance!

Seeing that Leon did not respond to them, Elder Gustavo's gloomy mood plummeted further. In any case, he had to make sure his young master escape safely!

It was his duty as a servant of the Cortez household!

"Young Master Judas, please leave first! I will hold this person back!" Elder Gustavo said after seeing the young master had quickly recovered from his previously grievous injuries.

"Alright! Give me the pendant."

After Young Master Judas received the pendant, he immediately shot off into the distance without another word.

Elder Gustavo felt aggrieved that the person did not even spare him a glance despite the chance that he might not make it out alive.

"Where do you think you're going?!" Leon barked.

He zoomed in on the fleeing young master and ignored Elder Gustavo. However, Elder Gustavo immediately kicked the ground and shot up to intercept Leon!

"Piss off!"

Leon roared, sending a forceful kick at Elder Gustavo, who hurriedly reused the swirling water technique to disperse the force of his kick.

Even so, Leon's feet still planted on Elder Gustavo's chest with some residual force and sent the person slamming into the ground.

Seeing Young Master Judas getting further away, Leon entered a throwing stance. He gripped his bone spear tightly with bulging muscles before tossing it with great power.

The bone spear immediately zipped through the air.

"Careful, Young Master Judas!" Elder Gustavo warned strongly before coughing profusely.

Young Master Judas quickly turned with a look of horror. Having exhausted his blackwater reserves, he could only rely on his Transcendental Water Element.

Despite Judas's best effort to defend in a split second, the bone spear pierced his runic chest armor and nipped his heart's artery, causing his face to be pale quickly.

Nevertheless, he did not stop and continued to flee.