The heavens erupted into chaos.
**BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!**
The instant Lizarius launched himself from the collapsing canyon, dark-blue lightning exploded across the sky behind him like the birth of a storm god.
His massive body tore through the cloud of debris at terrifying speed.
Not retreating.
Not hiding.
Charging.
High above, the black-robed Supreme Elder narrowed his eyes slightly.
The beast had chosen to attack.
Interesting.
His robes billowed violently as spiritual energy surged through his body like an endless tide.
Then—
he slowly raised a hand.
The heavens darkened.
An enormous spiritual palm began forming above the clouds.
Ancient runes illuminated across its surface one after another, radiating immense power.
The pressure alone caused the surrounding air to collapse inward.
Space trembled.
Mountains shook.
Even the clouds were pushed away.
"Heavenly Collapsing Palm."
The elder swung his hand downward.
**BOOOOOOOOM!!!**
The gigantic palm descended from the heavens.
The sky shattered beneath it.
Space groaned under the overwhelming pressure.
Mountains hundreds of meters away exploded apart before the attack had even landed.
Everything in its path was being crushed into nothingness.
Yet—
Lizarius's golden eyes remained cold.
Focused.
Unwavering.
The instant the palm descended—
lightning erupted beneath his wings.
**CRAAAAACK!!!**
His body twisted violently through the air.
The colossal palm missed him by less than ten meters.
Then—
**BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!**
The attack struck the earth.
The world shook.
An entire section of the canyon disappeared.
Mountains collapsed.
Forests were erased.
A crater spanning several kilometers appeared instantly beneath the impact.
The shockwave tore across the landscape like a natural disaster.
Yet amidst that destruction—
Lizarius was already moving.
His maw opened.
Dark-blue lightning gathered instantly.
Compressing.
Condensing.
Densifying.
The surrounding heavens darkened around the growing sphere of destruction.
The air crackled.
The clouds churned violently.
Then—
his jaws snapped forward.
**BOOOOOOM!!!**
A concentrated beam of lightning erupted from his mouth.
The attack pierced through the sky like a divine spear.
Fast.
Terrifyingly fast.
The black-robed elder's expression remained unchanged.
Calm.
Unmoved.
He simply raised a hand.
Spiritual energy condensed before him.
A massive translucent shield materialized instantly.
Ancient runes rotated across its surface.
The lightning beam arrived a heartbeat later.
**CRAAAAAAAASH!!!**
The collision detonated across the heavens.
Dark lightning exploded outward in every direction.
The shield trembled violently.
The surrounding clouds vanished instantly.
For several moments—
the two forces struggled against one another.
The heavens themselves seemed caught between destruction and resistance.
Then—
the beam shattered.
Countless arcs of lightning scattered across the sky.
The black-robed elder remained completely unmoved.
Not a single step backward.
Far below—
Lizarius watched silently.
His pupils narrowed.
*Strong.*
Far stronger than any Core Formation cultivator.
The difference was obvious.
A direct attack capable of instantly killing a Golden Core cultivator had accomplished almost nothing.
Meanwhile—
high above—
the female Supreme Elder observed quietly.
"A direct confrontation would be difficult for it."
The elderly Supreme Elder nodded.
"It understands that."
Indeed.
The moment the lightning dispersed—
Lizarius did not launch another attack.
Instead, his golden eyes swept across the battlefield.
Five Nascent Soul cultivators.
Two Early Stage.
Three Mid Stage.
Every direction blocked.
Every route of escape sealed.
The pressure surrounding him felt like an invisible cage.
Yet—
instead of panic—
the white lizard remained calm.
Calculating.
Analyzing.
Searching.
Because from the very beginning—
his greatest weapon had never been power.
It had always been survival.
Above him—
the black-robed Supreme Elder slowly lowered his hand.
His gaze locked onto the beast.
Then a faint smile appeared.
Cold.
Predatory.
"So."
Nascent Soul pressure erupted once more.
The sky darkened.
Clouds churned.
Spiritual energy surged across hundreds of kilometers.
The hunt had truly begun.
**BOOOOOOM!!!**
Dark-blue lightning exploded behind Lizarius as he shot through the heavens at full speed.
He had no intention of remaining surrounded.
No intention of testing himself against five Nascent Soul cultivators.
That was not courage.
That was suicide.
Then—
a violent pulse erupted from his body.
**FWOOOOOOSH!!!**
Thick dark-purple mist exploded outward in every direction.
The poison spread across the sky like a living tide.
Within moments, entire kilometers of air vanished beneath the poisonous fog.
The surrounding clouds blackened.
Spiritual energy hissed and corroded.
Even the atmosphere itself seemed to decay beneath its touch.
The five Nascent Soul cultivators reacted immediately.
"Careful!"
The female Supreme Elder retreated slightly as a spiritual barrier expanded around her.
The elderly Supreme Elder swept his sleeve outward.
A violent gale erupted.
The black-robed elder moved fastest.
His palm slammed forward.
**BOOOOOOM!!!**
Spiritual power surged outward like a tsunami.
The poisonous mist was blasted apart instantly.
Huge sections vanished.
Yet—
their expressions changed.
Because the poison did not simply dissipate.
The moment their spiritual energy touched it—
the mist clung to it.
Like rot.
Like infection.
The black-robed elder's gaze sharpened.
The spiritual energy surrounding his hand had already begun darkening.
Corroding.
"...Interesting."
Without hesitation—
he severed the contaminated energy from his Nascent Soul circulation.
The corrupted spiritual power was expelled immediately.
**HISSSSS!!!**
The severed energy dissolved into black smoke.
The others quickly followed.
They cut away the contaminated portions of their spiritual energy and dispersed them before the corruption could spread deeper.
The female cultivator from the Dao Unity Sect narrowed her eyes.
"No wonder Golden Core cultivators couldn't withstand it."
The elderly Supreme Elder nodded.
"A troublesome poison."
"But ineffective against Nascent Soul cultivators who are prepared for it."
Meanwhile—
within the rapidly dispersing fog—
Lizarius was already escaping.
Lightning surged beneath his wings.
The world blurred.
Every instinct screamed at him to widen the distance.
To flee.
To survive.
Then—
something appeared beside him.
No warning.
No fluctuation.
No killing intent.
Simply—
there.
The male Nascent Soul cultivator from the Dao Unity Sect.
His white robes fluttered calmly.
As though he had merely stepped through a doorway.
Lizarius's pupils contracted violently.
*Fast.*
Far too fast.
The cultivator smiled faintly.
"You are quite troublesome."
Then—
he struck.
No elaborate technique.
No grand manifestation.
Just a palm.
A simple palm infused with Nascent Soul power.
**BOOOOOOM!!!**
The world exploded.
The attack landed directly against Lizarius's side.
Every scale on his body screamed.
His ribs bent inward.
Blood erupted from his maw.
The surrounding air detonated outward.
**CRAAAAASH!!!**
His body became a white blur.
He smashed through a mountain.
Then another.
Then another.
Entire peaks exploded apart beneath the impact.
Stone vaporized.
Forests vanished.
The earth split open for kilometers.
Finally—
**BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!**
The river exploded.
A colossal pillar of water shot toward the heavens as Lizarius crashed into the riverbed with enough force to split the earth beneath it.
Waves hundreds of meters tall surged outward.
The entire river valley shook violently.
For several moments—
nothing moved.
Nothing emerged.
Only the sound of rushing water echoed through the devastated landscape.
High above—
the five Nascent Soul cultivators hovered calmly in the sky.
Their robes fluttered gently beneath the cold winds.
Elder Mo stared downward.
His expression tense.
The male cultivator from the Dao Unity Sect glanced toward the shattered river.
"...Still alive."
The female cultivator nodded.
"Not only alive."
Her eyes narrowed.
"...Its defensive capabilities are remarkable."
A Nascent Soul strike had landed directly.
Yet the beast's aura remained.
Weakened.
But unmistakably present.
The black-robed Supreme Elder folded his arms.
"It possesses an ancient bloodline."
"Such durability is not surprising."
Then—
the river below began bubbling.
Silence spread.
The bubbling intensified.
More.
And more.
Until the entire river seemed to boil.
The elderly Supreme Elder narrowed his eyes.
"Something's coming."
Then—
**BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!**
The river burst apart.
Massive serpentine heads erupted upward from the water.
One.
Five.
Ten.
Twenty.
Gigantic water serpents rose from the river itself.
Each stretched hundreds of meters long.
Their jaws opened with thunderous roars as they lunged toward the cultivators above.
The sky darkened beneath their shadows.
Elder Mo's expression changed.
"Water element?"
The elderly Supreme Elder merely snorted.
His sleeve swept outward.
**FWOOOOOOOSH!!!**
A terrifying gale exploded across the heavens.
The approaching water serpents shattered instantly.
Their bodies collapsed into torrents of scattered water.
Not a single serpent survived.
The river crashed back toward the earth.
The attack had been annihilated effortlessly.
Yet—
the elder's gaze remained fixed on the falling water.
"...Interesting."
The female Supreme Elder glanced toward Elder Mo.
"You never mentioned water."
Elder Mo frowned.
"It never used water during our battle."
The black-robed elder spoke coldly.
"You reported storms."
"Lightning."
"Blue flames."
"A manifestation."
"And a domain."
Elder Mo nodded immediately.
"Yes."
"Those were the abilities it displayed."
Then—
the falling water suddenly stopped.
Every expression changed.
The shattered water should have returned to the river.
Instead—
it hovered.
Suspended in midair.
Thousands upon thousands of droplets hung motionless throughout the battlefield.
Then—
the temperature plummeted.
Rapidly.
The surrounding air turned white.
Frost spread through the heavens.
**CRACK.**
**CRACK.**
**CRACK.**
Every droplet froze.
Within moments—
massive serpentine forms emerged once more.
Not water this time.
Ice.
Gigantic ice serpents coiled through the heavens.
Their crystalline bodies reflected flashes of lightning across the darkened sky.
The female cultivator from the Dao Unity Sect narrowed her eyes.
"...Ice as well."
The male cultivator sighed softly.
"This beast truly possesses an absurd number of elemental affinities."
Then—
the heavens darkened.
Not naturally.
Violently.
Storm clouds gathered from every direction.
The sky turned black.
Lightning erupted across the horizon.
**ROOOOOOOOAR!!!**
Massive storm serpents descended from the clouds.
Their bodies were formed entirely from dark lightning and raging storm energy.
Dozens emerged.
Then dozens more.
Coiling through the heavens like ancient dragons awakening from slumber.
The atmosphere became oppressive.
Heavy.
Violent.
The female Supreme Elder watched the growing storm.
"It finally understands."
The black-robed elder nodded.
"It realizes its situation."
There would be no escape.
No retreat.
No hiding.
So it had chosen to fight.
Far below—
within the shattered river valley—
Lizarius finally emerged.
The white lizard rose slowly from the devastation.
Blood stained portions of his scales.
Several sections of his body remained cracked from the Nascent Soul strike.
Yet his golden eyes remained cold.
Focused.
Unyielding.
Then—
**BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!**
His Golden Core erupted.
The storm shook violently.
Behind him—
a colossal draconic manifestation rose into existence.
Its enormous body towered through the clouds.
Golden eyes opened.
Ancient.
Predatory.
Terrifying.
The storm serpents roared in response.
Dark lightning surged upward.
The manifestation immediately ignited.
Lightning fused into its gigantic form.
**CRAAAAACK!!!**
Dark-blue destruction raced across its body.
The entire phantom transformed into a living storm.
The heavens trembled.
Then—
another force emerged.
Invisible.
Silent.
Yet overwhelming.
**RUMBLE...**
The sky groaned.
The Nascent Soul cultivators' expressions shifted.
Their robes sank slightly.
Their bodies felt heavier.
The very air seemed burdened by an invisible weight.
The female cultivator from the Dao Unity Sect looked downward.
Surprised.
"...Gravity?"
The male cultivator's eyes narrowed.
"So it possesses that as well."
Even the black-robed elder frowned.
For the first time—
their movements were being affected.
Not significantly.
But enough to notice.
Gravity manipulation.
Another ability.
Another hidden card.
Elder Mo stared in disbelief.
His face slowly paled.
"...It never used this."
The female Supreme Elder laughed softly.
"It seems your reports were incomplete."
Far below—
Lizarius stared upward.
His golden eyes locked onto the five Nascent Soul cultivators.
Storms raged around him.
Ice serpents coiled through the heavens.
Lightning illuminated the dark sky.
Gravity distorted the battlefield.
And behind him—
his colossal manifestation towered over the world like a divine beast born from calamity itself.
Ancient.
Unyielding.
Ready for war.