"But just to be on the safe side, I killed everyone in that inn."

Valerius spoke softly, his tone gentle, almost affectionate.

"Cut off their limbs and heads. I think you'll be satisfied with this method."

He described the massacre calmly, as if recounting an unimportant detail. Hundreds of lives—reduced to a number, weightless and meaningless on his tongue.

"Devil… you devil!"

Lunara's voice trembled with hatred as she bit her lip until blood seeped out.

"You will be punished by heaven for killing innocent people!"

"Hahaha!"

Valerius suddenly threw his head back and laughed. His laughter echoed wildly through the ruined space, unrestrained and contemptuous.

"My dear disciple," he said mockingly, "you are one of the Eight Legendary Ferocious Beasts. An existence that once crushed divine beasts during the Twilight of the Gods."

"How did you become so sentimental? So human?"

"Heaven's punishment?" His smile deepened.

"You and I are cultivators. We seize the fortune of heaven and earth, plunder the essence of sun and moon, and walk against the natural order in pursuit of immortality."

"This path itself defies heaven."

"Tell me... do you believe in the power in your hands to kill me, or the imaginary punishment you speak of?"

Lunara's body trembled.

"Everything in the world has cause and effect," she roared hoarsely.

"Even if it seems illusory, it is recorded in countless ancient scriptures!"

"You will pay for what you've done, Valerius!"

"Presumptuous!"

Valerius' expression turned cold.

He grabbed Lunara and slapped her away.

The sound cracked sharply.

Her body spun through the air and smashed into a stone wall. Blood sprayed from her mouth and nose as she slid down, leaving a red smear behind.

"Cough… cough…"

She tried to stand, her body shaking violently, but the pain overwhelmed her and she collapsed again.

"Call me Master," Valerius said coldly.

He lifted her by the collar, golden light wrapping around them both.

In the next instant, they vanished.

.....

Blue-Wave City.

Fortune's Arrival Inn.

A golden streak cut through the night sky.

Valerius appeared above the ruins and casually threw Lunara downward.

She crashed through the broken roof and slammed into the center of the inn.

Dust and blood mist exploded outward.

Lunara lay amid shattered beams and collapsed stone. When she opened her eyes, her pupils shrank violently.

Broken arms.

Scattered heads.

Blood soaked into every crack of the floor.

"You said everything has cause and effect," Valerius said lightly from above.

"If not for the wish in your heart, would these people have died?"

"They ended up like this—because of you."

Lunara clenched her fists.

Her chest heaved violently before she spat out a mouthful of blood.

She released her mental energy desperately, sweeping through the ruins.

Room by room.

She found Aether's room.

Empty.

No corpse.

No remaining trace of life.

"Mr. Aether… isn't here."

Her breath caught.

He was alive.

The weight crushing her heart finally eased.

She spread her arms and lay flat on the ground, staring numbly at the ruined ceiling.

But the next second—

Pain erupted.

Bone-deep.

Soul-piercing.

Her body curled violently, like a shrimp struck by lightning.

"This time, three days," Valerius said coldly.

"Just a warning."

"If you dare to be dishonest again, I will destroy your cultivation and throw you into a brothel."

"My path to the Imperial Realm can succeed without you."

"Don't think too highly of yourself."

With a sneer, Valerius grabbed her again and vanished.

After they left, silence descended.

From a distant rooftop, a black shadow dropped soundlessly to the ground.

It was Ethan.

He stood among the ruins, eyes calm, gaze heavy.

"The Saintess of the Palace of the Four Cycles…" he muttered softly. "Truly pitiful."

While cultivating, he had sensed Valerius' terrifying aura and rushed over to observe.

What he saw matched his expectations perfectly.

Lunara's movements had been noticed.

Valerius had responded with absolute cruelty—massacring an entire inn to send a message.

The dead here had known nothing.

They were neither enemies nor allies.

Just ordinary lives crushed beneath the heel of power.

But this was the reality of this world.

The strong ignored ethics.

The weak lived like ants, terrified of every step.

That was why everyone cultivated.

Not for righteousness.

Not for justice.

But to survive.

Ethan waited until Valerius' aura completely vanished, then stepped into the center of the ruined inn.

Hundreds of dead souls lingered here.

They had nowhere to go.

Resentment gathered visibly, thick and heavy.

Ethan clasped his palms together and began to chant softly.

Ancient syllables flowed from his lips.

Great Mercy Requiem.

He did not do this out of kindness.

He did it to accumulate merit.

"Souls who died innocently," Ethan murmured, "may this song grant you rest."

His voice echoed softly.

An invisible force descended.

Confusion in the air stirred.

Hundreds of pale souls appeared, their vacant eyes gradually regaining clarity.

A faint golden ribbon manifested in the night sky, forming a luminous path.

One by one, the souls stepped onto it.

They walked silently toward the darkness beyond.

At the end of that path—rebirth awaited.

Some turned back.

They raised their hands gently.

Perhaps in farewell.

Perhaps in gratitude.

After a long while, the last soul vanished.

Ethan exhaled slowly.

Wisps of an invisible, mysterious force converged into his body from all directions.

He could feel it—but not grasp it.

When he examined himself, there was no change.

This, he knew, was merit.

Lunara's life was not in danger—for now.

Valerius still needed her.

As for Ethan, his priorities were clear.

Find the Sage Token.

Wait for the training trial.

With a thought, he vanished from the ruins.

Back at Peaceful Haven Inn, Ethan stabilized his breathing and adjusted his condition.

Half a month passed.

One morning, he sat in the inn's lobby.

Chicken soup with tofu.

Two fried dough sticks.

A tea egg.

As a supreme cultivator, hunger meant nothing.

But appetite was still appetite.

He removed his mask.

After the battle at Blue-Wave Tower, that identity was useless anyway.

And in the Demon Territory, no one recognized his face.

Ethan took a sip of tofu soup, frowning slightly.

"This Sage Token…" he thought. "It's really hard to find."

After searching for half a month, there was no news about Sage Token.

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

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