Chapter 64: A Celebration and A Mystery

At present time – The Grand Party

The Celestial Family's Grand Banquet Hall was the definition of opulence. Floating chandeliers bathed the room in soft starlight, and the air was thick with the aroma of roasted meats and rare delicacies. It was a gathering of the most powerful figures in the world.

And yet—

It felt like a chaotic high school reunion rather than a dignified event.

At the main table, a certain trio was up to no good.

Lysander, dressed in an expensive black suit, swirled a wine glass with an exaggerated smirk. "Gentlemen, we've come a long way. Five years ago, we were idiots fighting for our lives. And now?" He took a dramatic sip. "We're classy idiots fighting for our lives."

Kaelros, his eyes flickering with amusement, leaned in. "I give it two hours before someone flips a table."

Lysander scoffed. "Two? You underestimate them."

Across from them, Lilian, Jin's sister, was aggressively ignoring them while sipping from a goblet. She had long since given up trying to keep them in check.

"Shut up, you morons," she muttered. "We're supposed to be professionals."

Lysander leaned forward with a grin. "Come on, Princess of Destruction, don't act like you're better than us."

Lilian's eye twitched. "Call me that again, and I'll show you destruction up close."

Kaelros chuckled. "She's got a point. You do sound like a discount noble from a third-rate drama."

Lysander gasped. "How dare you! My charisma is top-tier."

Kaelros deadpanned. "Your 'charisma' got you banned from three royal courts."

"That was one time."

"Three."

"Technicality."

Lia and Rin, seated nearby, sighed in unison.

"This party is already out of control," Rin muttered, watching a drunk elder challenge an entire dragon to a duel.

Lia took a sip of her celestial wine. "At least no one's died yet."

Rin gave her a dry look. "Yet."

Despite all the nonsense, one question loomed over the entire event.

Where is Jin Shang?

Meanwhile…

Far away, in the middle of a battlefield bathed in fire and death…

A massive gate loomed.

From its depths, Titans emerged. Beings of destruction, each large enough to flatten entire cities.

And yet—

Before them stood a single man.

Compared to the Titans, he was tiny. A mere speck of existence.

The Titans hesitated. Some primordial instinct screamed at them to run.

He cracked his neck. "Big guys, you took your sweet time. I was starting to think you got lost."

One Titan roared, a sound so loud that the very sky trembled.

But he yawned. "Cool. Any of you actually gonna hit me, or are we just screaming dramatically?"

The Titan swung. A mountain-sized fist crashed down—

Only to pass through empty space.

He was already on its shoulder.

" Too weak."

Then he punched.

A single hit.

The Titan's entire head exploded.

The others panicked. Too late.

He moved like a phantom, carving through their ranks with absurd ease. Limbs flew. Blood rained. Reality itself seemed to glitch around him.

Within moments—

The Titans were dead.

He sighed and plopped down onto the mountain of corpses, wiping some blood off his cheek. The sun began to rise, bathing the battlefield in golden light.

He exhaled, stretching lazily.

Then, a voice cut through the silence. This voice was so familiar.

"Well done, Jin."

Now he smirked ,Closed his eyes and grinned. Erebus stood there, watching.

Jin told, "Took you long enough. You enjoying the show?"

Erebus chuckled. "I was placing bets on whether you'd get bored halfway through."

Jin scoffed. "Bored? Fighting giant brain-dead monsters? I was already bored before they showed up."

Before Erebus could respond—

A notification appeared before Jin's eyes.

[SYSTEM MESSAGE]

Gate Cleared. Congratulations.

Reward Received: Elixir of Phoenix.

Jin's eyes gleamed. "Oh? That's what I've been waiting for."

A small vial materialized in his hand, filled with a golden-red liquid—the embodiment of rebirth itself.

Without hesitation—he chugged it.

[SYSTEM MESSAGE]

You have consumed the Elixir of Phoenix.

Your Abilities Have Been Upgraded to EX Rank.

Your Power is Now Independent of Causality and Acausality.

New Abilities Acquired:

1. Abyssal Powers – The darkness beyond time bends to your will.

2. Time-Space-Reality Restoration – Rebuild what is broken, reverse the irreparable.

3. Psychic Authority – Minds, thoughts, and souls bow before your command.

4. Life-Death Manipulation – Rewrite the balance of existence itself.

Jin flexed his fingers, feeling the sheer magnitude of his evolution.

The air itself distorted around him, warping as if reality feared him.

Then, another notification appeared.

[HIDDEN QUEST ACTIVATED]

"Olympus Journey"

Jin raised an eyebrow. "Olympus…?"

Erebus smirked. "Looks like the Olympian Gods want to see what you're made of."

Jin snorted. "Great. More old guys with ego problems."

Erebus laughed. "You do realize you're an old guy with an ego problem, right?"

Jin scoffed. "First of all, I'm devastatingly handsome and ageless. Second, my ego is perfectly reasonable."

Erebus raised an eyebrow. "You just called yourself 'devastatingly handsome.'"

Jin shrugged. "Facts don't care about your feelings."

Erebus sighed. "This is going to be a long journey."

Jin cracked his knuckles, a dangerous grin forming. "Finally. Some real entertainment."