"These people are here to find Ethan!"

The words fell like a stone into still water.

Ripples spread through the Holy Hall.

"How on earth did Ethan provoke so many terrifying figures?!" a peak master hissed, his voice trembling despite himself.

"Who knows…" another elder said bitterly.

"I only know that if this continues, we won't even last a day."

A sharp voice cut in immediately.

"You mean to blame Ethan?"

Everyone turned.

Mr. Stone's eyes were cold, his back straight despite the pressure crushing down on the formation.

"Have you ever thought," he continued slowly, "that if you had been kinder to Ethan back then, he wouldn't have left?"

Silence followed.

"If Ethan were still here," Mr. Stone said, his tone heavy, "Azure Origin Dao Sect would already be the undisputed leader among the four major sects. With him here, why would we fear these people at all?"

No one answered.

The silence was thick, suffocating.

Lyralei's expression darkened. Her fingers tightened slightly.

"This Ethan…" she muttered.

"It was just a small matter back then. Why did he have to leave…"

Her words trailed off, tinged with regret she refused to acknowledge openly.

"Enough," she said sharply, cutting off further discussion.

"There's no use talking about the past."

She took a slow breath, steadying the chaotic energies in her body.

"I forcefully broke through to the Supreme Realm. My realm isn't stable yet. If this drags on, the formation will break sooner or later."

Her gaze swept across the elders.

"And Master still hasn't emerged from seclusion."

Mr. Stone opened his eyes.

"Hold on for another hour," he said calmly.

"If there's still no change, Lyralei, you leave first."

"Leave?" Lyralei frowned.

"Yes," Mr. Stone replied without hesitation.

"Go to the Demon Sealing Cave. Guard the last fortress of Azure Origin Dao Sect."

"And you?" she asked.

Mr. Stone smiled faintly.

"I am of the ancestor's direct bloodline. I will sacrifice my soul and awaken the ancestor's spiritual body from the inheritance place."

The hall fell silent.

Even breathing seemed too loud.

"Even if it's only a spiritual body," Mr. Stone continued evenly, "it can still hold them off for some time."

His expression was calm, almost detached, as if speaking of someone else's death.

Perhaps, in his heart, he had already accepted it.

"Master," Seraphina suddenly said, her voice trembling but firm.

"If Ethan comes back… with his strength, he can definitely resolve this crisis!"

She had followed Edwin back to the sect years ago, and after a decade of cultivation, she had finally stepped into the Mahayana Realm.

A cold laugh answered her.

"Now you remember Senior Brother Ethan?" a sharp voice said from nearby.

"Do you remember why he left in the first place?"

Liana stepped forward.

Once lively and mischievous, she was now tall and graceful, her silver hair cascading down her back. Her temperament was icy, her beauty sharp enough to cut.

Seraphina's body stiffened.

She lowered her head, biting her lip, unable to refute a single word.

What defense was there?

Back then, she had been one of the reasons Ethan turned away.

"Is this the time to argue?" Lyralei snapped coldly.

"Do you think arguing will strengthen the formation?"

The hall quieted again.

She closed her eyes briefly, then opened them, gaze heavy.

"Will Ethan come back?"

No one answered.

"I don't even know whether the man the world hasn't seen for ten years is alive or dead," Lyralei said softly.

"Even if he wanted to return… would he make it in time?"

Silence.

Then Seraphina's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Master," she said quickly, "do you remember the senior who once cultivated in seclusion at Echo Lake?"

"Echo Lake…?" Lyralei frowned.

Mr. Stone's brows knit together as well.

There had indeed been strange disturbances there in the past—movements powerful enough to shake the lake itself.

"There must be an old monster hidden there," Seraphina said urgently.

"If that senior is truly one of our ancestors, he wouldn't ignore the sect in such danger!"

Lyralei's eyes sharpened.

"Go," she said decisively.

"Seraphina, go to Echo Lake immediately. If there truly is a senior in seclusion there, invite them out."

"Understood!"

Seraphina rose at once, bowing deeply before turning into a streak of light that shot toward the southern lake.

After she left, the remaining elders closed their eyes again, desperately sustaining the formation.

Lyralei's aura grew increasingly unstable.

Two completely different energies surged within her—clashing, colliding.

They came from her two bloodlines.

One was the phoenix bloodline inherited from the ancient inheritance ground.

The other was her innate Golden Phoenix bloodline.

Her breakthrough to the Supreme Realm had been forced—achieved by merging these two incompatible powers.

But after entering the realm, the bloodlines began to repel each other violently.

Ancient divine beasts bloodline did not submit easily.

Neither wished to bow.

"If this continues," Lyralei thought grimly, "I'll fall back to the Mahayana Realm."

And if that happened—

The Origin Formation's power would plummet.

One strike from those Supremes would be enough to shatter everything.

Lyralei clenched her teeth, a faint crease forming between her brows. For a brief moment, even her mind—honed through countless life-and-death trials—fell into a dead end.

Apart from the Origin Formation straining beneath her feet, the sect possessed only one final trump card.

The ancestor's spiritual body, sealed deep within the forbidden land of inheritance.

Ancient records made its limitations painfully clear. Once awakened, the spiritual body could not endure for long.

Its strength would, at best, hover between the Inferior Supreme and the Intermediate Supreme.

If… if it could exist longer, even a little longer, the situation might be forcibly turned around.

But reality was merciless.

The duration of the spiritual body was extremely short, and the price to awaken it was even crueler—it required Mr. Stone to burn his soul as fuel.

A one-time blaze.

Once the Origin Formation shattered, that spiritual body would amount to nothing more than a final delay—a thin barrier between the sect and total annihilation.

"Ethan…"

That name surfaced unbidden.

His figure appeared vividly in Lyralei's mind—calm, ruthless, standing alone yet forcing the heavens to bow.

Her fists tightened.

Only now did she truly understand how irreplaceable he had been.

Back then, she had thought losing him was merely the loss of a talented junior.

Now she knew—what they had lost was the sect's future.

Unfortunately, the boy had vanished without a trace. Ten years had passed, and the world had heard nothing of him. Even if he were still alive… even if he sensed the crisis…

Would he want to come back?

A bitter emotion called regret surged in her chest.

But Lyralei crushed it instantly.

Regret was useless.

Hesitation was death.

All she could do now was grit her teeth, continue feeding the formation with her unstable Supreme power, and wait—wait for Seraphina to return from Echo Lake.

Wait for a miracle that might never come.

At the same time, outside the formation.

Solin opened his eyes slowly.

"Our reinforcements are here," he said softly.

Moments later, streaks of light tore through the sky.

At their head was a tall man in a purple cloak, a massive black greatsword strapped to his back.

His aura was terrifying.

Peak Upper Supreme—only step away from the Ultimate Supreme.

Behind him were four figures.

Only four.

Yet each radiated crushing pressure.

Two Intermediate Supremes at peak stage.

Two at early stage.

Such a lineup was enough to crush every force in Skyreach Territory—save perhaps the Endless Mountains Holy Land and a few hidden ancient clans.

The man in the purple cloak descended slowly, his gaze sweeping over the battlefield before settling on Solin.

His voice was deep, cold, and indifferent.

"Are you from the Vernal clan?"

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 Magic Castle: @Zunsin

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