Silence returned to the courtyard.
Only scattered blood stained the stone beneath Lizarius' claws.
His enormous body remained perfectly still.
The newly acquired memories quietly surfaced within his mind.
*...Sunforged Bloodline.*
One scene after another unfolded before him.
Ancient records.
Clan teachings.
Legends passed down through countless generations.
*A bloodline that tempers the body beneath the sun...*
*Absorbing solar essence to strengthen flesh, meridians, and bones.*
*The stronger the sunlight...*
*The greater the refinement.*
His thoughts paused.
*...Interesting.*
It wasn't an ordinary physique.
Nor was it a cultivation technique.
It was an inherited bloodline.
Something woven into one's very existence.
A quiet conclusion formed within his mind.
His thoughts never reached their end.
A powerful aura rapidly approached the courtyard.
**Boom!**
A figure descended from the sky.
An elderly man hovered above the concealed courtyard.
His gaze immediately locked onto the enormous white-scaled lizard standing below.
The blood covering the courtyard.
The complete absence of the young cultivator.
Everything entered his sight at once.
His expression changed instantly.
"...Elder Brother You—"
He never finished speaking.
Lizarius slowly raised his head.
His golden eyes calmly swept across the newcomer.
*...First Layer of Foundation Establishment.*
Gravity descended.
**BOOM!!**
The elder's body slammed violently into the courtyard.
The stone beneath him exploded apart.
Cracks spread in every direction.
His ribs shattered instantly.
Several bones throughout his body broke beneath the crushing force.
"Cough—!"
Blood burst from his mouth.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
*What...*
*I can't move...*
The pressure continued increasing.
Every attempt to circulate spiritual qi was forcibly suppressed.
His vision blurred.
Then—
a shadow fell over him.
He slowly raised his head.
The enormous white-scaled lizard now stood directly before him.
Its massive maw slowly opened.
Rows of razor-sharp fangs reflected within his terrified pupils.
"...N-No—"
**Crunch.**
His voice ended abruptly.
Bone shattered.
Blood splashed across the ruined courtyard.
Several more bites followed.
Silence returned once again.
The familiar mechanical voice echoed within Lizarius' mind.
**[Evolution Points Acquired: 1,765.]**
The elder's storage pouch quietly floated into the waiting storage ring.
Nothing else remained.
Lizarius silently watched the last traces of blood disappear.
His thoughts quietly returned to the memories he had obtained earlier.
*...Bloodlines among humans...*
*They're uncommon.*
*So far...*
*I've only encountered two people who possessed one.*
His gaze remained calm.
*Yet...*
*Within those memories...*
*There was mention of another.*
Not a rumour.
Not a legend.
A real person.
Someone the cultivator clearly knew existed.
Unfortunately—
the memories contained only conversations.
Only descriptions.
Never a meeting.
Never a face.
The individual had never actually appeared within those memories.
Which meant—
there was nothing more to learn.
His golden eyes slowly swept across the Ye Su Clan.
Countless human scents lingered throughout the estate.
Dozens of heartbeats echoed from distant buildings.
Panic had already begun spreading after the protective barrier shattered.
Cultivators hurried throughout the estate.
Voices echoed from every direction.
"The barrier!"
"What happened?!"
"Elder You's aura disappeared!"
"Cultivators—gather at once!"
Footsteps thundered throughout the estate.
Dozens of cultivators rushed toward the shattered courtyard.
---
Lizarius never looked back.
His enormous body rapidly shrank.
White scales contracted.
His aura quietly receded.
Within moments—
the enormous dragon had once again become a tiny white-scaled lizard.
The storage ring slid neatly onto the tip of his tail.
His body slowly faded.
Becoming completely invisible.
Without the slightest sound—
he rose into the air.
Passing above rooftops.
Crossing over the panicked cultivators below.
No one noticed him.
No one sensed his presence.
Only a faint breeze marked where he had passed.
---
Silence.
The tiny white-scaled lizard drifted soundlessly above the estate.
Invisible.
Untouchable.
Below—
panic continued spreading throughout the Ye Su Clan.
Mortals hurried through the courtyards.
Servants knelt in fear.
Cultivators rushed from one building to another.
Voices overlapped without end.
No one noticed the tiny figure passing silently overhead.
Lizarius flew calmly across the estate.
His golden gaze swept over everyone below.
Most were mortals.
A few had only recently stepped onto the path of cultivation.
Their memories held little value.
---
His thoughts quietly returned to the memories he had obtained earlier.
*...Although the one who possessed the bloodline never appeared...*
*The person who spoke about it did.*
He remained silent for a moment.
*Which means...*
*I don't need to search aimlessly for the one who carries the bloodline.*
*I only need to find someone who knows.*
*Knowledge leaves traces.*
*Memories lead to other memories.*
*Eventually...*
*They reach the source.*
His gaze slowly swept across the estate below.
*In a clan like this...*
*Those with greater authority should know more.*
Without hesitation—
he changed direction.
His tiny body silently descended toward one of the inner courtyards.
There—
a middle-aged man hurried along a stone pathway.
His robes were embroidered with the insignia of the Ye Su Clan.
Late-stage Spirit Refinement.
Strong enough to occupy an important position within the clan.
Likely entrusted with internal affairs.
*...This one should know something.*
Lizarius hovered silently above him.
His golden eyes slowly brightened.
---
**Nightmare Gaze.**
---
The surrounding world quietly disappeared.
...
...
White.
An endless dreamscape.
The middle-aged cultivator stood motionless.
His eyes were empty.
His consciousness lay completely exposed.
Lizarius paid him no attention.
His own consciousness flowed directly into the countless memories drifting within the man's soul.
Scenes rapidly unfolded.
Clan meetings.
Resource allocations.
Disciples.
Family branches.
Names.
Faces.
One memory after another passed before him.
He ignored almost all of them.
Searching.
Filtering.
Looking for only one thing.
Bloodlines.
Strange children.
Unusual births.
Hidden conversations.
Time quietly passed.
Then—
a memory surfaced.
A conversation between two clan elders.
One of them mentioned...
A child.
Not because of any known bloodline.
Not because of extraordinary talent.
Simply because...
The child's existence had been ordered to remain strictly confidential.
Another memory followed.
The same child.
Mentioned once again.
A different speaker.
A different conversation.
A different location.
Each memory pointed toward the same household.
The same family.
The same child.
Yet—
none of them knew why.
No one spoke of a bloodline.
No one understood the reason for the secrecy.
They merely obeyed the orders handed down from above.
Several more memories flowed past.
Then—
nothing.
The trail ended there.
Silence.
Lizarius quietly organised everything.
*...As expected.*
*They don't appear to know which bloodline the child possesses.*
*Only that the child is important.*
The endless white dreamscape gradually dissolved.
Reality quietly returned.
The middle-aged cultivator continued walking.
Never realizing that anything had happened.
---
High above—
the tiny white-scaled lizard slowly turned away.
Invisible once more.
His thoughts remained calm.
*...Found it.*
He now knew the location.
The household.
The family.
The child.
A brief silence followed.
*...A child.*
*Inconvenient.*