Lana's gaze shifted toward the group of cultivators who had just arrived.

Their identical uniforms.

Their icy expressions.

Their overpowering sense of superiority.

Her brows drew together.

"So the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets finally decided to show up. They're here to sniff out the spoils… but they probably didn't expect Ethan to have been tearing apart the Ashenvale family and the City Lord's Mansion for this long."

Latham nodded lightly, but his eyes were sharp.

"The Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets… a nest of old foxes. Always calculating."

He looked toward the battlefield.

"Ethan must've used some unique secret method. Right now, his combat strength already matches an Inferior Supreme late stage… maybe even the peak."

He paused.

"As long as Damion and the other two don't interfere, Ethan can absolutely defeat Victor Ashenvale and Galen."

A faint gravity crept into Latham's expression.

"But what concerns me… is that mysterious female Supreme."

He tilted his head toward Iris.

"She may only be Inferior Supreme peak, but her fighting ability is nearly equal to mine. If I want to restrain her, I'd need either the Holy Lord of the Endless Mountains Holy Land… or the Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion."

"That won't happen. The Holy Lord hasn't appeared in decades. And the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion Master? His relationship with us is… poor."

His gaze darkened.

"With everyone acting separately today… I fear this woman might run away with the most precious treasure."

Latham's eyes lingered on Iris.

At the same moment, she lifted her head, sensing his probing gaze.

A cold smile curved her lips.

"The situation is a mess," Iris murmured. "The only one worth being cautious of… is Latham of the Myriad Treasure Pavilion."

Then her eyes locked onto Ethan.

"This brat… his aura rose again? His strength is already comparable to Inferior Supreme peak?"

She couldn't hide her astonishment.

Grey's fists tightened, resentment surging in his chest.

In this barren land… someone actually outshone him so overwhelmingly?

"Aunt Iris," he growled, "what exactly is Ethan's origin? He must be hiding some kind of enormous secret!"

"When we get a chance to capture him," Iris replied calmly, "we'll find out everything."

She studied Ethan again, her mind sharp.

"Don't worry too much. Ethan's aura is strange—this power doesn't match him. He must be borrowing strength, not using his own."

Grey exhaled slowly. "Borrowed… so it isn't his…"

That made him feel slightly better.

Only slightly.

.....

In the center of the battlefield, Ethan pivoted lightly, scythe in hand.

While clashing intensely against Victor Ashenvale and Galen, he still kept a portion of his mental energy sweeping the surroundings.

Especially toward the female Supreme.

"That woman keeps probing me with her mental energy," Ethan thought coldly.

"She definitely has her eye on me."

However— Fear did not exist in his dictionary.

He still had unplayed cards. Including the Chaos Clock—his divine artifact.

If she dared to attack him, he'd make her regret the thought.

He silently sent a message.

"Senior Sister, keep your eyes on the mysterious Supreme. She's probably preparing to move."

Then another message to Magnus and Zeon.

"Be ready."

They received it instantly, their expressions tightening with vigilance.

On the other end—

Victor Ashenvale and Galen exchanged looks, panting heavily.

They stared at Ethan like they were staring at a demon born from chaos.

His earlier scythe strike had left wounds on both of them. And now, his aura continued to climb.

This Seventh Turn Nirvana cultivator could now pressure—and possibly kill—Inferior Supreme peak experts.

Terrifying.

Victor Ashenvale's face twisted in fury and despair.

Retreat?nImpossible.

The Ashenvale family had already lost more than half their elite forces to Ethan. If he fled today—what reputation would they have left?

His jaw clenched as he glanced at the surrounding families.

Stonebridge family.

Ashmount family.

Thunderhall family.

Deepvale family.

The remaining four families of the Holy land of Endless Mountains.

All watching. None taking action.

"These old foxes…"

Victor gnashed his teeth.

Holy Land of Endless Mountains consisted of five major families. They'd been competing—and betraying one another—for centuries.

Unless the Holy Land was facing extinction, they would never unify against an outside threat.

Ethan's strength was monstrous—possibly threatening every major force in the Skyreach Territory. And with Blood Tavern and Myriad Treasure Pavilion behind him, the political risk was enormous.

If they attacked Ethan today, no matter the outcome… They would bleed badly.

Victor understood all of this.

Which was why he gritted his teeth and shouted across the valley:

"Everyone! Aid me! After we kill Ethan, the Ashenvale family will relinquish the slots for the next Holy Land Heir competition!"

A stir rippled among the four families.

This was no trivial offer.

Every cycle, the Holy Land chose ten potential heirs.

Each family was allotted only two slots.

Those slots determined who could enter the Holy Land's ancient ruins.

Inside were supreme inheritances left from ancient times.

Even if someone failed to become the ultimate heir, obtaining an inheritance meant rising to unimaginable heights.

Giving up one candidate slot was a massive concession.

Isolde Stonebridge's eyes flickered.

The offer was… tempting.

But after a moment of consideration, she shook her head.

Not yet.

Her gaze shifted to the Ashmount family. They exchanged looks.

The Ashmount elder nodded, silently indicating that they would follow the Stonebridge family's decision.

But the other two—The Thunderhall family. The Deepvale family.

Their eyes gleamed with greed.

They would not miss such a golden opportunity.

And they believed—

If their two families joined forces with the Ashenvale family, even someone like Ethan couldn't escape death.

The representative of the Deepvale family today was Peter Deepvale—the youngest of the six elders, but also the strongest.

Late-stage Inferior Supreme.

Beside him stood Belle Thunderhall, the wife of the head of the Thunderhall family. An eccentric woman, mid Inferior Supreme, feared for her lethal temper.

But she was finally conquered by Alex Thunderhall, the head of the Thunderhall family.

Without hesitation—

Both of them stepped forward and responded to Victor Ashenvale in unison.

A/N:

Extra chapters

100 power stones - 1 Extra chapters

200 power stones - 2 Extra chapters

Massage Chair - 1 Extra chapters

Luxury Car - 2 Extra Chapters

Dragon - 5 Extra Chapters

Magic Castle - 15 Extra Chapters

...

Thanks for the Inspiration Capsule: @Varematras

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.