Yu Songnian clenched his lips tight, his entire body trembling uncontrollably.
Father...
And the elders who had watched him grow up since he was a child...
All buried here because of the selfishness of the man before him!
Yu Songnian's eyes turned blood-red. From deep in his throat, a roar erupted — the sound of a beast pushed to the edge. In the very next instant, his body began to show signs of petrification. Threads of silver-gray spread slowly across his skin.
"Tian Po! Third Senior Brother's condition is acting up again. Help him, quickly!" Yun Jin's voice was tight with urgency.
Tian Po Jian answered, ready to act, but then paused with a surprised murmur.
No... something's off.
This time, the petrification was different from before. In mere moments, a full layer of silver-gray stone armor covered Yu Songnian's entire body.
What shocked Yun Jin was that this time, Third Senior Brother hadn't lost consciousness. He was still aware — unlike the previous episodes when he would become a lifeless statue. And more than that, his aura was surging upward.
Golden Core stage.
Then Nascent Soul stage.
Then the peak of Nascent Soul.
And finally — he broke through, forcibly, into the Divine Transformation stage!
With a furious roar, he didn't even bother to draw his sword.
He threw a punch, straight at Yu Lin.
Yu Lin was taken aback for a moment by the sudden turn.
Then, he let out a cold sneer.
The higher the realm, the harder it was to leap across a major stage.
A cultivator at Golden Core might challenge someone at Nascent Soul.
But someone at Divine Transformation trying to fight someone at Unity stage?
That was nearly impossible.
Did Yu Songnian think he was some elite disciple from a Holy Land?
Even elite disciples would struggle to cross such a gap.
Yu Lin scoffed and raised his fist to meet Yu Songnian's head-on.
Yun Jin bit her lip.
She wanted to help Third Senior Brother.
But she knew—
Right now, he didn't want anyone to intervene.
Even if the gap in power was overwhelming. Even if it came at a terrible cost.
Third Senior Brother wanted to kill Yu Lin with his own hands.
The hatred in him — Yun Jin could feel it clearly.
If she were in his place, she would have gone even more insane.
But she had a bottom line: she wouldn't let him die. If it came to that, even if he resented her for it, she would force Tian Po Jian to intervene and save him.
The first clash of fists rang out.
Yu Songnian was clearly on the losing end.
Cracks began to spread across the stone armor on his body. It was evident he couldn't withstand such power for long.
Yu Lin's eyes flashed with vicious intent.
He didn't know what kind of end awaited him.
But right now, Yu Songnian had to die.
If it weren't for this little bastard coming back unexpectedly, the past incident from ten years ago would've stayed buried forever!
He, Yu Lin, could've spent his life peacefully as the Patriarch of the Yu Clan.
Now it was all ruined.
Yu Lin roared and unleashed a wave of spiritual power toward Yu Songnian.
Yun Jin watched nervously. Tian Po Jian stood ready to act at a moment's notice.
Blood began to seep from the corner of Yu Songnian's mouth.
He stared at Yu Lin with unrelenting hatred.
This man.
He had murdered his father.
And caused the deaths of so many elders who had cherished him.
Yu Lin.
He deserved to die.
He had to die.
Right here, before the bones of his father and the elders, Yu Songnian vowed to see Yu Lin dead. He would not stop until Yu Lin died by his hand. The intensity of his rage turned his eyes a deep crimson.
With another furious roar, the cracked armor around him suddenly reformed — healing itself completely. From his chest, the Royal Stone slowly floated into view.
It shone with a soft light that enveloped Yu Songnian completely.
And then—
The stone armor covering him began to change once more. This time, the silver-gray hue gave way to a brilliant gold. When the golden light spread across his entire body, Yu Songnian stood like a war god forged in gold — and his aura surged into the Unity stage!
Yun Jin's heart raced.
Third Senior Brother's original cultivation had been at Nascent Soul, but the stone affliction over the past few years had reduced him all the way to Golden Core.
The first transformation had still been within reason. Even though his cultivation had regressed, his soul realm had continued to grow. If it weren't for the petrification illness, with his natural talent, he should've already reached Divine Transformation by now.
Among all their senior brothers and sisters, Third Senior Brother had always possessed the most extraordinary potential.
But now—
To go from Divine Transformation to Unity in one leap?
That was pushing it.
Was this the power of the Royal Stone?
To bear such overwhelming strength out of nowhere — there had to be a price.
Surely there was a cost.
But...
Looking at Yu Songnian now, how could Yun Jin stop him?
Even if the price was painful beyond imagination, if this gave Third Senior Brother some peace, then let him go mad — just this once.
Yun Jin sighed and silently watched the battle between Yu Songnian and Yu Lin unfold.
After being forcibly advanced into the Unity stage, Yu Songnian could finally stand his ground. He howled and threw punch after punch — like two mortals brawling in the mud — each strike slamming into Yu Lin.
Yu Lin had been startled by the sudden power shift. He tried to create distance, to bring out his magical tools. But Yu Songnian gave him no breathing room. He stuck to him like a shadow, his blows falling like a relentless storm. There was no chance to retreat.
Frustrated, Yu Lin met him punch for punch.
But...
Even cultivators were still human — they could still feel pain.
Yu Lin's fists throbbed with every impact, and fear began to creep in.
Meanwhile, Yu Songnian was like a machine of steel — unfazed by pain. Blood poured from between his knuckles, but he didn't stop.
Yu Lin sensed something was wrong. He tried to flee.
But Yu Songnian always caught up to him.
At the cave entrance, Jin Yu and the others had already blocked every exit.
Yu Lin had nowhere to run.
Yu Songnian tackled him to the ground.
But he didn't stop there. He pressed his knee into Yu Lin's chest and pummeled his fists into Yu Lin's face.
Yu Lin nearly lost his mind. He struggled to catch a breath and cried out in desperation, "Nephew... I... I was wrong..."
BAM— another punch.
"I shouldn't have..."
BAM.
"I..."
BAM.
Yu Songnian didn't care for his pathetic pleas.
Bloodshed could only be paid back with blood.
Justice — he would reclaim it himself, for his father, for all the elders.
No one knew how long it went on.
Eventually, Yu Lin stopped breathing.
But Yu Songnian didn't stop. His fists kept falling, smashing into Yu Lin's ruined face, over and over.
Yun Jin had already collected Yu Lin's escaped Yuányīng.
Now—
Yu Lin's Yuányīng watched his own mangled corpse being pounded into pulp, and a chill ran down his spine.
Mad.
His nephew had truly gone mad.
Yun Jin stood quietly, watching. Only when Third Senior Brother's eyes began to lose focus did she finally step forward.
Before he could collapse, she caught him from behind.
Yu Songnian turned his head, dazed, and looked at her in confusion.
The Royal Stone drifted down and Yun Jin caught it in her hand.
She gently placed it back in Yu Songnian's chest and said softly, "Third Senior Brother... it's over."