"How dare the heavens cut off my path… HOW DARE THEY?"

The roar shook the trial ground like the sky itself had bellowed in outrage. A faint echo lingered in the air, vibrating through the stone floor beneath their feet.

Hearing those words, Kranos's eyes widened slightly.

What did he mean by the heavens cutting off his path?

Wasn't that similar to what the old madman from the academy had once whispered to him, with that same mad gleam in his eyes?

Kranos's usual composure wavered for the briefest instant. A small crease appeared on his brow, his calm mask threatening to crack.

But he quickly pulled himself together, letting the faint disturbance vanish from his face. Still, his focus sharpened—he wanted to catch every word that followed.

He knew that Kathryn had reached an unfathomable realm, one so high it was beyond most cultivators' comprehension. But from the tone in her voice and the subtle weight behind her presence… perhaps she had gone even further?

Kathryn's gaze slid toward the unremarkable young man. Her expression was light, her lips curling into a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"The heavens don't give things for free." Her voice was steady, smooth as still water, yet it carried an undercurrent of something sharp.

"You might think that the talents and luck given by the heavens come without a price," she continued, her emerald eyes holding his like a spearpoint. "However… you, as a divine cultivator, are you really that ignorant?"

The unremarkable young man's eyes widened, the veins in them darkening as shock rippled through him. His breath caught for half a second—an involuntary tell.

As someone who had reached that unfathomable realm, he knew certain truths—truths that could not be spoken aloud. They were secrets bound by the very order of the worlds.

But how could this little girl… know them as well?

One word surged in his mind.

Anomaly.

So this was the source of the unease gnawing at him from the start?

He, an anomaly himself, had crossed paths with another anomaly.

Would his carefully laid plans unravel here?

He wasn't confident. Not against her. From her words and the depth hidden in her gaze, it was certain—Kathryn had crossed that unfathomable threshold. She had glimpsed the skies beyond the divine world… something even he had failed to achieve.

"Little girl… Fellow Daoist," he said slowly, his voice gravelly, tinged with both caution and curiosity. "How did you cross that stage? When I tried, I was struck down… with a single finger."

As he spoke, faint shadows flickered in his eyes—memories of that moment. The crushing force, the helplessness, the darkness closing in.

"Fortunately," he went on, "I had a backup plan—this trial ground, and a clone infused with a portion of my divine energy—to claw my way back onto the Dao path."

Kathryn's eyes glinted at his words, the faintest shift in her expression betraying her understanding.

"I have no reason to reply to that."

Luka and Kevin, both God Realm experts, exchanged confused glances. They didn't understand the weight behind the exchange. But the ones from the Scarlet Moon Organization did.

Their eyes lit up—not with joy, but with predatory calculation. This mission had just become far more lucrative.

Not only was the anomaly Kathryn present… there was another anomaly standing before them.

The unremarkable young man.

Aurora, standing quietly at the side, also understood. Her master had long ago told her what an anomaly was.

Desmond's expression shifted. This was not his battle. He began retreating with unhurried, measured steps. He could gamble against one anomaly, but not two. Two was a death sentence.

Meanwhile, Kranos fell into deep thought, unconsciously triggering his rapid-thought time ability. The world seemed to slow around him as he analyzed the man's words.

It seemed… crossing above the Divine Realm was far more difficult than he had expected. Was this the reason why the realm above the Divine World was never listed? The thought gnawed at him, but he pushed it aside. Answers would come with time. For now, the confrontation unfolding before him took priority.

Kathryn's eyes narrowed slightly, the emerald glow in them deepening until it almost seemed alive.

"Our discussion is over," she said softly, yet her voice carried an edge that cut through the charged silence. "It's time to send you on your way."

She raised her hand.

The skies above the trial ground split open with streaks of lightning so bright they burned the eyes. The scent of ozone flooded the air, sharp and metallic. Chains burst from the cracked ground, their links grinding together with a harsh, echoing clang.

The atmosphere shifted—dense, oppressive. The unremarkable young man's skin prickled as a stinging sensation swept over him.

His expression changed instantly. He snapped his head toward Kathryn, but before he could react further, his eyes went wide in recognition.

"What? How do you have the Divine Illusion Eyes? Have you… really transcended the Divine Realm?"

He knew—any divine cultivator knew—what those eyes meant. And he knew his current strength would never be enough to block them.

Fortunately, his earlier unease had pushed him to alter his plans.

When one reached the Divine Realm, they no longer used mana for divine skills, but divine energy. And divine energy wasn't just fuel for techniques—it was something more. Something fearsome.

Feeling the faint drop in temperature, he thrust his hands forward. Space itself warped around him, compressing into a pale yellow barrier.

Kathryn's gaze flickered with interest.

"Using the gravity element like that… interesting," she murmured. She had to admit—his control was impressive.

She lifted her hand again, and bolts of lightning—thick as a man's arm—crashed toward him.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

To the spectators, the man looked like he was struggling against thin air, jerking and twisting, fending off invisible strikes. But the steady rhythm of Kathryn's hand movements told them it was no mere hallucination.

The ten God Realm cultivators from the Scarlet Moon Organization exchanged solemn looks.

Even Desmond felt a cold shiver race down his spine. Luka and Kevin weren't any better, the hair on their arms rising.

What kind of technique was this?

Aurora only watched, her expression cold. She had died to this attack in her previous life. This time, she was ready.

Kranos's brows knit slightly, but when he saw neither Aurora nor the Scarlet Moon experts panic, his own unease lessened.

In the unremarkable man's vision, he dodged desperately, weaving through the lightning, but there were too many. Eventually, some struck true.

Bolts pierced him, leaving smoking holes in his flesh. He coughed blood, the metallic taste flooding his mouth.

His gaze locked on Kathryn, eyes narrowing in something like respect.

"I didn't expect the Divine Illusion Eyes to be as terrifying as the rumors claimed," he said hoarsely. "If it's this powerful and it's not even in the top three… I wonder how the top three Divine Eyes would fare."

Then, his lips twisted into a grin. "You've made me curious, fellow Daoist. It seems I'm destined to rule this divine era as a demon!"

He roared at the heavens, and before their eyes, his wounds began knitting together, skin sealing over, blood fading. In seconds, he stood whole again.

Kathryn's eyes narrowed. Kranos and Aurora both felt their pulses skip. In the previous timeline, this hadn't happened.

"Using divine energy to mend your injuries?" Kathryn said, her voice calm but laced with understanding.

Kranos's thoughts sharpened. So divine energy could… heal? He knew little about it, but its value was undeniable.

The unremarkable man's grin widened.

"That's right! Do you think I'd be unprepared? All the divine energy I've gathered over the years is in my body—you can't kill me!"

"Now," he said, lowering his voice, "are you ready to tell me how you ascended that realm? Together, we could rule the immortal worlds, the divine worlds, and beyond."

Kathryn's brows furrowed. A tense silence stretched between them, until she finally spoke one word.

"Sure."

"Have you heard," she said, her voice carrying a faintly mocking lilt, "of the Anomaly Alliance?"

The man's eyes widened in shock. Every anomaly knew of the Anomaly Alliance.

Kranos felt his chest tighten. He had heard of them from Desmond, but doubted Kathryn's connection before. Now, that doubt crumbled.

The Scarlet Moon experts had gone still, their earlier plans discarded. At the mention of the Alliance, their solemnity deepened into something heavier.

This was no longer just a difficult opponent—Kathryn was perhaps as dangerous as the Scarlet Moon's own master.

"What about the Anomaly Alliance?" the man asked, his tone guarded.

"I'm a member," Kathryn said plainly. "I received help from the elders there. I cultivated, fought through the Chaotic Battlefield, explored forbidden grounds in the Divine World… until one of the elders helped us find a way to ascend."

Her lips curved slightly. "It wasn't easy, but it was worth it. Tell me, demon—are you curious about what lies beyond the Divine World? Do you want to know what's waiting for you?"

Her laughter was soft, almost playful, but the air seemed to grow heavier with every note.

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