And his heart and demon pill were rapidly drying up.

Finn knew it clearly.

He could no longer escape.

If he wanted to fulfill his duty, there was only one thing left he could do—delay Ethan as much as possible. Even if that meant igniting the last trace of his soul and self-destructing, dragging Ethan down to hell with him.

But before he could move—

A surge of colorful light burst forth.

The towering Dharma Body stood firmly in front of him.

Finn's pupils contracted violently.

"What… what is this?!"

Before he could react, the giant's fist smashed into his chest.

Boom!

Finn was sent flying like a broken kite, crashing through several ancient trees before barely stabilizing himself in midair. Blood poured from his mouth, his vision swimming.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

"Why… why can his Dharma Body leave his physical form?"

"And not only that—why can it act independently at such a distance?!"

Finn's mind was in chaos.

He had lived for hundreds of years. He had seen body cultivators, human monsters, even rare geniuses of the demon race.

But never—never had he seen a Dharma Body that could exist separately from its master, move freely, and fight independently without any visible tether.

This wasn't cultivation.

This was absurdity.

This was… perversion.

Yet confusion did not excuse failure.

Finn roared and forced his body to move again. Even if he could not kill Ethan, even if he could only delay him for a breath—

That breath might save the young patriarch.

At the same time, far ahead—

The Desolation-Annihilating Sword screamed through the air, rotating like a black sun, its holy-grade aura tearing apart the sky as it closed the distance.

But Ethan was even faster.

Golden lightning split the heavens.

In the blink of an eye, Ethan overtook his own sword, his figure appearing behind it like a god chasing judgment.

"What the hell is that?!"

Zeph glanced back, his scalp instantly going numb.

"A sword… such terrifying pressure—this is a holy weapon!"

Then his heart nearly stopped.

"No—there's more… it's Ethan!"

The golden lightning was right behind him.

Too close.

Far too close.

"How can he be this fast?!"

Zeph's pupils shook violently, fear finally breaking through his pride.

Even Evan, who had remained calm until now, felt his heart sink.

This speed…

This was not something a cultivator at the peak of Ninth-Turn Mahayana should possess.

"Young Patriarch!"

Evan roared.

"I'll stop him—go!"

Without waiting for an answer, Evan turned, his body erupting with demonic energy as he revealed his true form and charged straight at Ethan.

Zeph clenched his teeth so hard they nearly shattered.

"Damn it!!"

He gave Ethan one last venomous look, then turned and fled again—this time pouring demonic energy madly into the Palace of the Four Cycles Token at his waist.

As long as he could hold on—

As long as the distance wasn't too far—

The others would sense it.

And more importantly, the direction he was fleeing toward was the direction of Her Highness the Saintess.

If Lunara noticed…

Ethan would be trapped.

"Supreme Profound Sky Sword Technique."

Ethan's voice was calm.

Too calm.

Facing Evan's oncoming charge, Ethan caught the Desolation-Annihilating Sword in his hand.

In an instant, sword intent exploded.

The earth trembled.

The forests bent.

The clouds above were torn apart by invisible pressure.

Evan's heart skipped.

Then—desperation.

"Demon pill… explode!"

Without hesitation, Evan compressed every last drop of power within his demon pill.

Cracks spread across it.

His aura became wildly unstable.

His body began to swell.

"You want to self-destruct?"

Ethan sneered.

Gray-blue spiritual fire erupted along the blade.

His figure blurred, thunder roaring beneath his feet as he closed the distance in a heartbeat.

Slash!

The Desolation-Annihilating Sword drew a line of light across the sky—brilliant, silent, absolute.

Space itself split open.

Evan's body froze.

Then slid apart from the waist.

The demon pill—still cracking, still screaming—was cut cleanly in two.

"How… is this possible…"

Evan's eyes lost focus as his body fell.

He couldn't understand it.

He was a Tengu.

A peak Upper Demon Lord.

How could he be cleaved in half by a human in the Training Trial Secret Realm?

"I… don't accept it…"

His voice faded into nothing.

Spiritual fire surged, swallowing what remained.

Zeph felt it then.

A chill so cold it pierced his soul.

He turned—

Ethan was already there.

Less than ten feet away.

Before thought could form, the sword flashed.

Iron light crossed the void.

Zeph froze midair.

Ethan calmly shook the blood from his blade, spiritual fire burning away the remnants, then sheathed the sword.

Behind him, Zeph's head slid from his shoulders.

The body followed.

Silence.

Ethan swept the battlefield clean, collecting storage rings with mechanical efficiency, then turned away.

Behind him, Finn—already on the brink—was finally obliterated by the relentless assault of the Dharma Body, his existence erased completely.

Risa stared.

For a long moment, she said nothing.

Then she exhaled deeply.

All doubt was gone.

Only awe remained.

"Ethan…"

"…awesome."

Ethan descended from the sky, landing lightly.

Pure Azure flames washed over the ground, erasing traces of battle.

"Junior Brother, are you hurt?"

Kara hurried over, her voice laced with worry.

"I'm fine," Ethan replied lightly. "Just a bit of energy consumption."

He smiled faintly.

"Senior Sister, why do you care so much?"

Kara snorted softly.

"I'm your senior sister. Why wouldn't I?"

He turned and handed Risa a pill.

"Eat this. It'll help with your injuries."

Risa accepted it solemnly.

"Mr. Ethan… I owe you my life. If you ever need me, just say the word."

Elara stepped forward, her expression complex.

"Zeph…?"

"Dead."

Her breath caught.

Killing the young patriarch and two elders of Heavenly Palace—

Such decisiveness… such strength.

Terrifying.

"In one hour," Ethan said calmly, raising a finger, "we must leave."

"Alright."

They rested.

Half an hour later—

Ethan suddenly opened his eyes.

"So fast."

He stood, gaze locking westward.

There were many auras approaching quickly. Among them was Lunara.

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: @Chuckalotapus

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.