The group continued forward.
Six figures now crossed the heavens together.
The three Supreme Elders of the Azure Sky Sect.
Elder Mo.
And the two Nascent Soul cultivators from the Dao Unity Sect.
No one spoke during the journey.
The matter they pursued was far too serious.
Below them, the landscape continued to change.
Towering mountain ranges gradually gave way to vast stretches of untamed wilderness.
Ancient forests spread endlessly across the earth.
Massive cliffs rose from the land like the fangs of some primordial beast.
Hours passed.
The faint connection within Elder Mo's talisman slowly strengthened.
Not rapidly.
But steadily.
With every passing mile, the crimson glow became slightly brighter.
Slightly stronger.
Eventually—
Elder Mo's expression changed.
His speed gradually slowed.
The others noticed immediately.
The black-robed Supreme Elder spoke first.
"...What is it?"
Elder Mo lowered his gaze toward the talisman.
The crimson light was now pulsing rhythmically.
Like a living heartbeat.
His eyes narrowed.
"...We're close."
Instantly, the six figures became more alert.
Divine senses expanded outward.
Sweeping across the surrounding region.
Yet—
they found nothing.
No beast.
No cultivator.
No unusual spiritual fluctuations.
Only wilderness.
The female cultivator from the Dao Unity Sect frowned.
"I sense nothing."
The elderly Supreme Elder remained silent.
His divine sense expanded even farther.
Covering dozens of kilometers.
Still—
nothing.
Then—
Elder Mo stopped completely.
Hovering motionless in the sky.
The others followed.
The wind drifted quietly around them.
Below—
a colossal canyon stretched across the landscape.
Its enormous walls plunged deep into the earth.
Dense mist filled its depths.
Ancient forests covered much of its interior.
At first glance, the canyon appeared entirely ordinary.
Elder Mo slowly raised the talisman.
The crimson glow intensified instantly.
Brighter than ever before.
His pupils contracted.
"...It's here."
Silence followed.
The black-robed Supreme Elder's eyes sharpened.
"You're certain?"
Elder Mo nodded.
"The signal leads directly below us."
The female Supreme Elder gazed toward the canyon depths.
A thoughtful look gradually appeared in her eyes.
"...Interesting."
The male cultivator from the Dao Unity Sect frowned slightly.
"I still sense nothing."
Beside him, the female cultivator nodded.
"Neither do I."
That alone was alarming.
Five Nascent Soul cultivators stood above the canyon.
Yet none of them could locate the target.
Only the talisman confirmed its presence.
The elderly Supreme Elder slowly stepped forward.
His ancient gaze swept across the canyon below.
Then—
his eyes narrowed slightly.
"...There."
The others immediately turned toward him.
The old man pointed toward an unremarkable section of cliff face hidden beneath layers of drifting mist.
At first glance—
nothing appeared unusual.
Yet after several moments—
the female Supreme Elder's expression shifted.
"...Concealment."
The black-robed elder's gaze sharpened.
"I see it now."
The five Nascent Soul cultivators hovered silently above the canyon.
Cold winds swept through the abyss below.
The faint crimson glow of Elder Mo's talisman continued pulsing steadily.
There was no longer any doubt.
The beast was here.
The black-robed Supreme Elder stared into the depths for several moments before speaking.
"...Once you focus deeper beneath the earth, you can sense it."
The others concentrated.
This time—
they felt it.
Extremely faint.
Almost dormant.
Yet undeniably present.
A living aura hidden beneath countless layers of stone.
The female cultivator from the Dao Unity Sect frowned.
"It isn't concealing itself."
The elderly Supreme Elder nodded.
"No."
"It feels more... suppressed."
His eyes narrowed.
"...It is resting."
A brief silence followed.
Then the black-robed elder snorted.
"Resting or not, it changes nothing."
Cold killing intent slowly spread from his body.
"We've found it."
His gaze locked onto the canyon below.
"Now we ensure it never awakens again."
BOOM.
Nascent Soul spiritual energy erupted from his body.
The surrounding sky darkened instantly.
Clouds scattered in every direction.
The air trembled violently.
Even the canyon walls below began cracking beneath the pressure alone.
Elder Mo unconsciously took a step backward.
Every time he witnessed the Supreme Elders release their power, he was reminded of just how vast the gap truly was.
The black-robed elder slowly raised one hand.
Spiritual energy gathered.
Compressed.
Condensed.
The space around his fist began visibly distorting.
CRACK.
CRACK.
Thin fractures spread through the air itself.
The female Supreme Elder glanced toward him.
"You intend to destroy the entire canyon?"
The black-robed elder replied coldly.
"If the beast is truly sleeping..."
"...then let it die before it can react."
The ancient Supreme Elder offered no objection.
The Dao Unity cultivators merely watched in silence.
Then—
the black-robed elder clenched his fist.
The surrounding sky seemed to shatter.
"Sky-Breaking Fist."
And swung downward.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!
A colossal fist of condensed spiritual power descended from the heavens.
The clouds exploded apart.
The atmosphere screamed.
The canyon below instantly collapsed inward.
Entire cliff faces disintegrated.
Mountains shattered.
Millions of tons of stone were pulverized as the attack plunged deep beneath the earth.
The world trembled.
Far below—
within the hidden chamber—
silence reigned.
Lizarius remained curled upon the stone floor.
Golden energy flowed endlessly beneath his scales.
Stable.
Peaceful.
Until—
a cold mechanical voice suddenly echoed through his consciousness.
**[WARNING.]**
**[HOST DETECTED IN LIFE-THREATENING DANGER.]**
**[WARNING.]**
**[IMMINENT LETHAL ATTACK DETECTED.]**
**[FORCED AWAKENING INITIATED.]**
The sleeping white lizard's golden eyes snapped open.
Instantly.
No confusion.
No hesitation.
Only instinct.
And danger.
Then—
he felt it.
An overwhelming force descending from above.
The mountain.
The earth.
Everything above him was being erased.
His pupils contracted sharply.
*Nascent Soul.*
The realization flashed through his mind.
Then—
the world exploded.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!
The hidden chamber vanished.
The mountain shattered.
The canyon erupted upward like a volcanic cataclysm.
Countless tons of stone vaporized.
A massive pillar of debris blasted into the sky.
Shockwaves spread for hundreds of kilometers.
Forests collapsed.
Mountains cracked.
The earth split apart.
The heavens trembled.
Dust and shattered rock filled the sky.
The entire canyon had ceased to exist.
What remained was a colossal crater stretching across the land like the scar of a fallen god.
Millions of tons of stone still drifted through the air while spiritual storms raged across the devastation.
High above—
six figures floated calmly amidst the chaos.
The black-robed Supreme Elder slowly lowered his fist.
His expression remained cold.
Unmoved.
"...Still hiding?"
His voice echoed throughout the shattered landscape.
The female Supreme Elder narrowed her eyes slightly.
The elderly Supreme Elder remained silent.
Nearby, the two Dao Unity Sect cultivators quietly observed the battlefield.
Elder Mo stared downward nervously.
Nothing.
No corpse.
No aura.
No blood.
Nothing remained.
Then—
the black-robed Supreme Elder snorted.
"It seems concealment is all it possesses."
His sleeve shifted.
Spiritual power began gathering around his hand once more.
The surrounding space trembled faintly.
"Such tricks may deceive Core Formation cultivators..."
His eyes swept across the destruction below.
"...but before a Nascent Soul cultivator—"
Then—
his words stopped.
The female Supreme Elder's eyes suddenly narrowed.
The elderly Supreme Elder's expression changed slightly.
And deep below—
within the endless sea of debris—
two golden eyes opened.
Cold.
Sharp.
Calculating.
Hidden beneath layers of shattered stone, Lizarius remained completely motionless.
Invisible.
His wings slowly unfolded around him.
The force of the previous attack had left cracks across several scales.
Blood dripped from one wing.
Yet his golden gaze remained calm.
Focused.
Above him—
six cultivators.
Not one.
Not two.
Six.
The realization settled heavily upon him.
*They arrived too quickly.*
His thoughts moved rapidly.
*And their numbers exceed every previous estimate.*
His golden eyes narrowed further.
*I anticipated one or two Nascent Soul cultivators.*
*A reasonable response to the death of several sect elders.*
*Not this.*
Not five Nascent Souls.
The situation had already surpassed every prediction he had made.
His thoughts turned inward.
*System.*
*What are their cultivation levels?*
The familiar mechanical voice responded immediately.
**[Analysis Complete.]**
**[Detected Hostiles.]**
**[Nascent Soul Realm: Five.]**
**[Early Nascent Soul: Two.]**
**[Mid Nascent Soul: Three.]**
For a brief moment—
silence.
Then Lizarius slowly raised his gaze.
Toward the black-robed elder.
Toward the overwhelming pressure radiating from the six figures above.
*Five Nascent Souls.*
*Three Mid Stage.*
His thoughts became colder.
Sharper.
*Attempting direct combat would be suicide.*
There was no uncertainty.
No pride.
No arrogance.
Only calculation.
The difference between Golden Core and Nascent Soul was enormous.
Even after evolving repeatedly.
Even after everything he had gained.
Five Nascent Souls acting together remained far beyond his current ability to confront directly.
Yet—
before he could formulate his next move—
the black-robed Supreme Elder spoke again.
"...Found you."
His gaze locked directly onto Lizarius's hidden location.
A faint smile appeared.
Cold.
Cruel.
"It seems your concealment loses effectiveness against Nascent Soul perception."
Spiritual power surged around his arm once more.
The surrounding heavens darkened.
Another attack.
Even stronger than the previous one.
Prepared to erase everything beneath him.
The female Supreme Elder remained silent.
Watching.
The elderly Supreme Elder observed carefully.
Waiting.
And below—
within the dust and shattered debris—
Lizarius made a decision.
Not retreat.
Not hesitation.
Action.
BOOOOOOOOM!!!
Dark-blue lightning exploded from the crater.
The earth shattered.
The sky cracked.
A pillar of destruction erupted upward through the storm of debris like the birth of a divine calamity.
"What—?!"
Elder Mo's eyes widened.
The black-robed Supreme Elder's smile vanished instantly.
A flash.
Then another.
Then—
nothing.
Because Lizarius had already crossed the distance.
BOOOOOOOM!!!
The air exploded apart.
Dark lightning tore through the heavens as a colossal white figure burst from the cloud of destruction.
His body crackled with violent energy.
Golden eyes blazed with killing intent.
Wings spread wide.
The speed was so terrifying that the sonic boom arrived after he did.
Straight toward the black-robed Supreme Elder.
The elder's pupils narrowed.
Then—
he grinned.
Not fear.
Not caution.
Excitement.
The excitement of finally facing the monster responsible for slaughtering an entire generation of Azure Sky Sect leadership.
"Good."
BOOOOOOM!!!
His Nascent Soul aura erupted completely.
The heavens shook.
The clouds fled.
Space distorted around him.
And as the lightning-wreathed beast ascended from below—
the black-robed Supreme Elder stepped forward.
Meeting the charge head-on.