Lizarius slowly closed his jaws.
Crunch.
The remaining flesh disappeared.
He swallowed without expression.
His tongue slowly passed across the blood staining his fangs.
The metallic taste lingered for only a moment before fading.
Silence.
Only the distant rumble of thunder echoed across the ruined mountain range.
His golden eyes quietly overlooked the devastated battlefield.
Within his mind—
everything replayed once more.
Every movement.
Every exchange.
Every calculation.
*...Everything unfolded within acceptable parameters.*
His thoughts remained calm.
*A cultivator who knows they are superior...*
*Will inevitably lower their guard.*
*Not because they underestimate their opponent...*
*But because they possess confidence.*
*Confidence...*
*In their own strength.*
*Confidence...*
*That the opponent before them cannot truly threaten their life.*
The memory of Zuo Qia's calm expression at the beginning of the battle briefly surfaced.
She had been cautious.
Yet never truly desperate.
Never truly fearful.
Because—
she had believed victory to be inevitable.
Another thought followed.
*However...*
*When two opponents possess comparable strength...*
*Or when one surpasses the other...*
*Even if only slightly...*
*Everything changes.*
His golden eyes remained emotionless.
*Both sides fight...*
*Knowing...*
*That the next mistake may become their last.*
*Humans.*
*Beasts.*
*Are no different in this regard.*
Another memory surfaced.
The moment Zuo Qia's expression had changed.
The instant she finally realized—
she could die.
*She understood...*
*Only after it was already too late.*
His thoughts continued without pause.
*Burning her cultivation...*
*Accelerated the poison.*
*She realized that much.*
*A correct conclusion.*
*However...*
*She never understood...*
*How quickly the catalyst would react...*
*Nor how deeply the poison had already rooted itself within her body.*
His gaze drifted toward the blood scattered across the sky.
*By the time she attempted her final exchange...*
*The poison had already reached her Golden Core.*
*It merely required one final surge of spiritual energy...*
*To consume it completely.*
His expression remained unchanged.
*I was aware of that.*
*That is why...*
*I never retreated.*
A brief silence followed.
*That was only one reason.*
Another thought quietly surfaced.
*The other...*
*Was that I couldn't allow her to escape.*
*Even if the poison failed...*
*I would've consumed her myself.*
The remaining lower half of her body disappeared into his maw.
The battlefield returned to silence.
Just then—
a familiar voice echoed within his mind.
**[Evolution Points acquired: +124,650.]**
Lizarius didn't react.
His tongue slowly licked the last traces of blood from the corner of his maw.
Only then did his gaze lower.
Below him—
the remaining possessions of the fallen Nascent Soul cultivator floated quietly through the air.
A purple Golden Core.
Its once-pure spiritual radiance had already been stained by the spreading poison.
A spatial ring.
A pristine white flying sword.
A shattered jade defensive artifact.
Several broken talismans.
His hind claw slowly opened.
A faint spatial fluctuation spread outward.
His storage ring activated.
One after another—
the items flew toward him.
The flying sword disappeared first.
Then the spatial ring.
Then the poisoned Golden Core.
Each vanished into storage.
Only the shattered defensive artifact and broken talismans remained.
They fell silently toward the ruined earth below.
Lizarius quietly watched them descend.
His golden eyes revealed neither joy...
Nor satisfaction.
Only silence.
The white-scaled lizard hovered motionlessly above the battlefield.
His crimson-gold eyes swept across the devastation below.
The mountains had vanished.
Ancient forests no longer existed.
Only shattered earth remained beneath the lingering storm.
For several long breaths—
he simply observed.
His thoughts remained calm.
*Nothing that can be traced back...*
*Can remain.*
The Cloud Sword Sect would investigate.
That much was certain.
A Nascent Soul Elder did not simply disappear.
Every fragment.
Every remnant.
Every clue...
Would be examined.
Even the smallest trace could eventually lead back to him.
*Erase everything.*
Without another thought—
he released the storage ring resting upon his hind claw.
It quietly fell toward the ruined earth.
At the same moment—
azure flames ignited across his body.
They spread over every scale.
Then—
his enormous body descended.
Boom!!
He struck the earth like a falling star.
The impact shattered the mountain range.
The ground exploded outward.
Hundreds...
Then thousands...
Of enormous cracks spread across the land like a spider's web.
The entire region shook violently.
The next instant—
azure flames erupted.
Boom!!
They burst upward from every fissure simultaneously.
Like volcanic pillars.
Like the wrath of the heavens.
The fire spread with terrifying speed.
Stone softened.
Then melted.
Ancient trees vanished before they could even ignite.
The poisonous mist lingering throughout the battlefield disappeared completely.
Blood.
Scales.
Broken stone.
Fragments of spiritual techniques.
Everything...
Was swallowed by the azure inferno.
The sea of fire continued expanding.
The surrounding mountains slowly collapsed inward.
Molten stone flowed through the countless fissures.
Within moments—
the battlefield had transformed into an enormous sea of lava.
Nothing recognizable remained.
No corpse.
No blood.
No lingering aura.
Only endless flames.
Far above—
Lizarius silently ascended back into the sky.
The storage ring continued falling.
Before it reached the lava—
his body rapidly shrank.
The towering dragon gradually returned to the size of an ordinary white-scaled lizard.
The ring slipped neatly over the tip of his tail.
His golden eyes quietly swept across the burning landscape one final time.
The flames would continue burning for quite some time.
By the time they faded—
whatever remained would have long since become indistinguishable from the surrounding terrain.
Even a Nascent Soul cultivator skilled in investigative techniques would find little.
His gaze lingered upon the sea of molten stone.
Then—
his aura quietly faded.
His body became transparent.
The surrounding light naturally bent around him.
Perfect concealment.
The small white-scaled lizard slowly disappeared from sight.
No ripple remained.
No presence.
No sound.
Only the distant rumble of cooling lava echoed throughout the ruined mountain range.
Then—
even that sound faded.
Silence reclaimed the land.
As though the battle that had claimed the life of a Nascent Soul cultivator...
Had never happened at all.
---
Several hours later—
Far away from the ruined battlefield.
Within the Cloud Sword Sect.
The sect remained as tranquil as ever.
The newly accepted disciples continued their daily cultivation.
Some practiced sword forms upon broad stone platforms.
Some meditated beneath ancient spirit trees.
Others wandered through the sect, familiarizing themselves with the place that would become their home from this day forward.
None of them knew...
That one of the sect's Nascent Soul Elders had already fallen.
---
Deep within the sect—
Far beyond the bustling disciple peaks—
stood a solitary mountain.
It was quiet.
Almost completely isolated from the rest of the Cloud Sword Sect.
Ancient trees covered its slopes.
Dense spiritual mist drifted silently through the forest.
Only the occasional cry of a spirit bird disturbed the silence.
Then—
a tiny white figure shot through the woods.
Whoosh!
It flew recklessly.
Branches.
Leaves.
Ancient trees.
It passed straight through them without slowing.
Its aura was incomparably weak.
As though it could be extinguished at any moment.
The miniature Nascent Soul of Zuo Qia.
Its body had become noticeably translucent.
Every passing moment consumed what little strength remained.
Finally—
it stopped.
Hovering silently among the ancient trees.
Before it—
stood a small bamboo courtyard.
The quiet mountain remained silent.
Then—
a calm voice drifted down from above.
"...I was wondering..."
"...Why you were taking so long."
A brief pause.
"...But to think..."
"...You would return..."
"...In such a state."
The tiny Nascent Soul slowly raised its head.
"...Gu Ruan..."
Hovering cross-legged upon the branch of an ancient tree overlooking the courtyard—
was a tall man.
Long brown hair flowed loosely behind him.
He wore plain azure robes without excessive ornamentation.
Both hands rested calmly upon his knees.
His expression remained tranquil.
His eyes quietly settled upon the tiny Nascent Soul.
Silence filled the mountain.
The forest itself seemed to grow even quieter.