"The people from the Palace of the Four Cycles are here. Let's go."

Ethan's voice was calm, but there was no room for discussion.

Elara and Risa were startled awake almost at the same time. The murderous aura lingering in the air had not yet fully dissipated, but the distant fluctuations—those oppressive, familiar presences—were already closing in.

"Where do we go?" Elara asked instinctively.

"Where are the ruins," Ethan replied.

"Towards the swamp."

Risa's pupils contracted slightly.

The swamp ahead was marked on the jade map as a dangerous zone. Not a place of obvious slaughter, but the kind of region that devoured people silently—quicksand, poisonous miasma, ancient plants, and unknown beasts that lurked beneath stagnant waters.

Yet Ethan didn't even pause.

He had no interest in continuing a cat-and-mouse game with the Palace of the Four Cycles. The Training Trial Secret Realm was limited in time, and every moment wasted on meaningless conflict was a moment stolen from true opportunities.

Inheritance.

Heavenly treasures.

Hibiscus fruits.

That was the purpose of entering this place.

Elara took a breath, suppressed the unease in her heart, and nodded. Kara followed Ethan without a word, her expression relaxed, almost leisurely. Risa hesitated for only a heartbeat before gritting her teeth and stepping forward.

The four figures plunged into the swamp and disappeared among the towering trees.

They had barely left when several powerful auras descended upon the giant tree where the battle had taken place.

Dust stirred.

Leaves trembled.

Judging from their robes and totems, they were unmistakably members of the Palace of the Four Cycles.

Three teams.

Not four.

The absence was conspicuous.

Because the Heavenly Palace team—the fourth—had already been erased.

At the forefront stood two women whose beauty alone was enough to eclipse the surrounding forest.

One was the Saintess of the Palace of the Four Cycles, Lunara.

The other was Ember of the Golden Palace.

Her presence was as radiant as ever, her bearing proud and sharp, like a blazing flame restrained within a crystal shell. As the daughter of Valerius, her bloodline was noble, her future almost predetermined—head of the Golden Phoenix clan, master of the Golden Palace.

Ember closed her eyes slightly, her delicate nose lifting as she sensed the air.

"The aura is extremely faint," she said coldly. "But this should be the last place where Zeph and his group remained."

"There are clear traces of a large-scale battle," a burly man stepped forward and spoke in a deep voice.

His name was Eryon.

One of the strongest geniuses of the Slaughter Palace.

A candidate for its future palace master.

As a member of the White Tiger clan, his physique was towering, his aura fierce, and his pressure alone was enough to make ordinary cultivators tremble.

"Zeph didn't die easily," Eryon continued. "If he fell here, then his opponent was no ordinary person."

Standing just behind him was another member of the White Tiger clan.

Unlike Eryon, this one was not tall or imposing.

His build was merely sturdy, his features refined, almost delicate. His pale skin and soft appearance made him look more like a quiet youth than a ferocious demon.

Seris.

A name rarely spoken aloud.

A genius said to appear once in a thousand years within the White Tiger clan.

Young.

Terrifyingly young.

Yet already an intermediate Demon Lord, with rumored combat power comparable to an Upper Demon Lord.

He lowered his head, white pupils half-hidden beneath his lashes, a fluffy white tiger tail swaying gently behind him. He said nothing, merely followed Eryon like a silent shadow.

Behind the brothers stood a middle-aged man cloaked in obscurity.

His white beard and hair concealed most of his face. Only a high nose and a pair of sharp, luminous eyes were visible beneath the veil of age and power.

Kairon.

Known to the brothers as Grandpa Karion.

A presence so low-key that almost no one in the Palace of the Four Cycles even knew he existed.

Yesterday, before the opening of the secret realm, only Valerius had recognized him and exchanged a brief greeting.

Everyone else—young or old—had remained ignorant.

Lunara nodded slowly.

"I don't know who Zeph encountered," she said. "But to kill him and two elders of the Tengu Clan… that person's strength is certainly extraordinary."

In truth, she already had a guess.

The residual aura lingering here was familiar.

Too familiar.

It carried a subtle sharpness and restraint that reminded her of someone she knew well.

Mr. Aether.

But certainty required evidence, and Lunara was not foolish enough to speak without it.

Nor was she someone who would betray a friend lightly.

"The only ones with such strength should be from White Emperor City," a young man from the Wind Sable clan said, stroking his chin.

He was handsome, with sharp brows and an upright bearing.

Sorrel.

The youngest commander of the Wind Palace.

An Upper Demon Lord whose strength rivaled Eryon's.

The two had crossed hands several times, each battle ending without a decisive victor.

"But White Emperor City has always maintained decent relations with our Palace of the Four Cycles," Sorrel continued.

"There shouldn't be such a conflict."

"Speculation is useless," Ember said flatly. "We'll know once we meet them."

She turned slightly. "Can anyone track the one who killed Zeph?"

Sorrel shook his head.

"The Wind Palace specializes in tracking, but this person is extremely cautious. Only a fragmented aura remains. Being able to follow it here is already my limit."

He paused, then looked toward the massive dead tree nearby.

"There's a tree hollow here."

Sorrel approached the hollow, placed his palm against the inner wall, and closed his eyes. His perception spread carefully, layer by layer.

Moments passed.

Then he opened his eyes.

"Someone stayed here recently, but the aura doesn't match our target."

"What a pity," Sorrel said, shaking his head.

"Could it be an ally of the one who killed Zeph?" Ember asked, her gaze drifting toward the west.

"It's possible," Sorrel replied.

His eyes followed hers.

Beyond the dead tree lay a vast swamp.

Towering ancient trees grew densely within it, their massive canopies blotting out the sky. Thick moisture hung in the air, mixed with the heavy scent of decaying vegetation and stagnant water.

Even for him, the environment hindered his detection and perception of the smell to some extent.

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.