Kaelan's eyes brighten as he watches the chaos spreading through the void between them.
The collision between Destruction Axe and the golden lion has shattered the calm structure of the surrounding void currents.
Streams of void energy twist wildly.
Space fractures into turbulent layers.
For a brief moment, the battlefield becomes unstable.
Exactly the moment he needs.
One of Kaelan's tentacles suddenly pierces deep into the torn layer of void.
With precise control, he pushes the blood crystal into the flowing void current.
The crystal vanishes instantly, swallowed by the chaotic tide and carried away through the deeper currents of the void.
His task is complete.
Kaelan wastes no time.
His massive body shimmers.
The outline of the Void Monster dissolves into flowing darkness.
He merges with the surrounding void energy.
Then streaks away like a shadow pulled into the endless currents.
Behind him, Aslan sees the movement.
The golden-maned warrior narrows his eyes.
"You are not running away."
His voice echoes faintly in the void.
He raises his arm and punches forward.
Golden energy erupts violently from his fist.
The light burns across the chaotic void currents like a blazing spear.
Everything in its path ignites.
Void energy evaporates into sparks of light.
Aslan steps forward into the burning wake of his own power.
His body becomes a streak of golden light.
He follows the escaping Void Monster.
Aslan did not leave the Blood Beast World simply to wander.
He seeks resources.
Treasure.
Powerful materials that can push his stagnant cultivation forward.
And every part of a Void Monster is an invaluable treasure.
Void flesh.
Void bones.
Void essence.
He cannot allow such prey to escape.
Both figures vanish into the distant void.
Gradually, the violent turbulence fades.
The chaotic currents settle.
Darkness returns to stillness.
Only faint traces of distorted energy remain where the battle took place.
Moments later, another figure appears.
Kaelan's First Clone.
From the Wizard World.
His form streaks through the void toward the battlefield.
He slows as he reaches the disturbed region.
His senses spread outward.
The fluctuations are already fading.
The battle has ended.
But the energy traces reveal enough.
Worry appears within his mind.
The coming world war had been carefully planned.
Every step calculated.
And his main body had been essential to the plan.
Now that certainty wavers.
If his main body has been forced into retreat, he may not be able to participate in the war at all.
The thought troubles him.
His clone hovers silently within the void.
If the main body cannot return on time, the entire strategy must change.
The Wizard World may face overwhelming pressure.
For the first time since the war planning began, a new possibility appears in his mind.
Escape.
If the situation becomes truly dangerous, he will abandon the Wizard World.
Everything he has invested in the Wizard World may be lost.
Years of preparation.
Resources.
All gone.
But none of it is more valuable than his life.
Within the silent void, the clone begins to quietly plan an escape route.
He soon reaches the area where the battle had taken place.
But almost nothing remains.
The vast tide of void energy constantly flowing through the endless darkness has already erased nearly every trace of the conflict.
Only faint disturbances linger.
Residual ripples.
Fragments of law energy are dissolving slowly into the void currents.
Kaelan spreads his senses outward.
His perception moves carefully through the surrounding void energy, searching for the scattered remnants of the enemy's power.
Golden traces appear faintly within the darkness.
He begins gathering them.
The fragments respond to his will and drift slowly toward him.
While collecting the energy, he suddenly senses something unusual.
A fluctuation.
One that feels strangely familiar.
Almost identical to his own aura.
His eyes open sharply.
He turns his gaze toward a distant layer of void energy.
Without hesitation, he thrusts his hand forward.
His arm pierces through the shifting layers of void currents.
The space folds slightly under his authority.
His hand emerges deeper within the void and grasps something hidden there.
When he pulls his arm back, a small blood crystal rests within his palm.
The crystal dissolves immediately upon contact with his body.
Warmth spreads through his spirit space.
The newly improved Wizard Cultivation Technique floods into his mind.
Rune structures.
Mana transformations.
Law pathways.
Everything appears clear.
For a moment, Kaelan nearly begins cultivating the technique immediately.
The temptation is powerful.
But he stops.
With deliberate effort, he suppresses the impulse.
Now is not the time.
He steadies his mind and continues gathering the remaining energy fragments.
Soon, the scattered golden traces gather together into a single sphere.
A ball of condensed golden energy floats before him.
Kaelan stores it inside his spirit space.
It may prove useful later.
He turns toward the direction of the Wizard World.
Then streaks through the void.
Time passes as he travels through the endless darkness.
Halfway to his destination—
A sudden danger appears.
A sword of energy tears through the void currents and flies directly toward him.
Kaelan's eyes widen in shock.
He reacts instantly.
Mana surges through his body.
He pushes his hand forward and forms a shield of Ether energy.
The Ether shield appears instantly before him.
Seven laws within the Ether energy rotate together in perfect coordination.
The sword energy crashes into the shield.
The impact sends ripples across the void.
The shield holds—briefly.
The seven laws attempt to break down the invading sword energy.
But the process is too slow.
The sword energy is incredibly sharp.
In just a few moments, the blade pierces through the Ether shield.
The strike continues forward and slices across Kaelan's palm.
A thin line of blood appears.
Kaelan withdraws his hand slightly.
His powerful self-healing begins immediately, trying to neutralise the invading sword energy lingering within the wound.
At the same time, he raises his head.
A figure now stands ahead of him in the void.
An older man wearing a flowing white robe.
A sword rests calmly in his hand.
Kaelan's expression darkens.
He recognises the man immediately.
The one he once named the Sword Immortal.
A transcendent being from the Sword Immortal World.
The Sword Immortal does not speak.
Without exchanging a single word, he lifts his sword.
Then swings.
Several sword energies fly outward instantly.
They streak across the void toward Kaelan.
Kaelan mobilises his laws rapidly.
Layer after layer of Ether shields form around him.
The sword energies collide against the barriers, tearing them apart one by one.
Kaelan's mind races.
He understands the situation clearly.
He cannot win this battle.
He is only a Fourth Stage Transcend.
The Sword Immortal is a Fifth Stage Transcend.
The gap between them is enormous.
As the sword energies continue striking his defences, Kaelan begins calculating only one thing.
How to escape.
Kaelan continues defending as the Sword Immortal's attacks rain down through the void.
Each swing of the sword releases a streak of razor-sharp energy.
The blades of power cut through the surrounding void currents and slam against the shields Kaelan forms.
Layers of Ether energy rise before him again and again.
Seven rotating laws reinforce each barrier.
Still, the sword energies carve through them one after another.
Kaelan retreats slowly while defending.
At the same time, he begins gathering void energy behind the protection of his shields.
The surrounding void currents spiral toward him.
Dark energy condenses silently behind his body.
He needs time.
Just a few moments more.
Across from him, the Sword Immortal continues his relentless assault.
Sword energies streak outward like a storm of blades.
The defending continues.
Shield forms.
Shield breaks.
Another shield forms again.
Kaelan's mind remains calm while calculating the timing of his counterattack.
Before he gathers enough energy, another disturbance appears nearby.
A bright spear of light suddenly tears through the void.
It streaks directly toward the Sword Immortal.
The attack is fast and brilliant, burning away void energy along its path.
Isla emerges from the direction of the Wizard World.
She has sensed the battle and come out into the void.
Without hesitation, she launches her spear attack toward the Sword Immortal.
The sudden strike forces the Sword Immortal to shift his attention.
His sword flashes.
He intercepts the incoming spear of light.
The clash releases a burst of radiance that pushes the void currents aside.
The brief interruption gives Kaelan the opening he needs.
He pauses for a moment, studying the Sword Immortal carefully.
As the chaos settles slightly, a realisation forms in his mind.
The Sword Immortal's aura feels incomplete.
The pressure is clearly that of a Fifth Stage Transcend.
But something is missing.
The presence lacks the fullness of a true Fifth Stage existence.
Almost as if the foundation is incomplete.
The thought passes quickly.
There is no time to analyze further.
Kaelan and Isla move together.
Their attacks combine against the Sword Immortal.
Light and void collide with sword energy.
The battlefield becomes a storm of intersecting forces.
Even together, they cannot overpower him.
They are only able to avoid being killed quickly.
Kaelan knows the moment has come.
The gathered void energy surges through his body.
He raises one finger.
"Energy Chaos."
He points toward the space between himself and the Sword Immortal.
The condensed energy detonates into existence.
A sphere of violently unstable forces appears.
Void energy.
Ether.
Residual law fragments.
Everything twists together in chaotic interaction.
The Sword Immortal attempts to destroy it with a strike.
But the attack only worsens the instability.
Ripples explode outward.
The surrounding void energy surges wildly.
A vortex forms around the Sword Immortal, temporarily trapping him within the storm of chaotic currents.
Kaelan and Isla do not hesitate.
They turn immediately.
Both streak back toward the Wizard World.
Leaving the Sword Immortal behind in the raging void disturbance.