Chapter 138: Chapter 138
But the giant bronze puppet lay motionless in the smoking pit, eyes flickering once before their inner fire faded to darkness.
"that’s it?," Ethan said with mild disappointment. "So it rank out of spiritual stones."
He shrank his form, body returning to its original normal size. A powerful battle had just been fought, but the stone forest was altered beyond recognition. Rifts, shattered spires, and scorched shadows dominated what once had been an arena of ordered chaos. Only the ancient tablet had escaped the devastation, standing untouched and oddly dignified in the wake of destruction.
Ethan approached, boots crunching gravel and dust, his gaze sharp on the tablet. "This should count as a pass, right?"
Something shifted. The rows of names—generations of trial-takers—began to shimmer, then dissolve. All at once, every letter on the stone vanished. A single golden word emerged—his name, Ethan—glowing with pride alone at the stele’s center.
A moment’s satisfaction, and then...
Cracks snaked across the stone as if it were glass. Lines multiplied; splits widened, until—
CRASH.
The monument collapsed to gravel and dust, as if unable to contain the weight of his victory.
Ethan grinned wryly. "No? Couldn’t bear my name?" He shook his head in disbelief. "Is my karma really this heavy?"
Suddenly, the ground convulsed. A seismic force shook the entire sect. An ancient voice, heavy with epochs, thundered through his mind and the stones alike.
"I have waited nearly ten thousand years. The one who can break through the Bronze Man Formation has finally come!"
The voice echoed, tearing through the fabric of the hidden realm—every word weighted with supreme will.
Just the echo carried a shocking power, resonating in the bones, summoning awe from all who heard.
At that instant, a golden light blazed up from the south of Azure Origin Dao Sect—soaring like a heavenly pillar, cleaving clouds, connecting the ancient land of inheritance to the vault of the sky.
Every disciple, deacon, and elder in the sect paused, eyes wide as they stared at the gleaming beacon of light.
Even those outside the boundaries of the sect—wandering cultivators and forces with buried grudges—felt the change in the world.
Old monsters and hidden powers awoke all throughout the Skyreach Territory, racing toward the source.
In the sect itself, chaos reigned for one stunned heartbeat—then whispers surged into shouts.
"That’s from the inheritance place!"
"What happened? What’s caused this kind of transformation?"
"Senior Brother Ethan was supposed to enter the inheritance place today..."
"What else? No one but him could shake the ancient ground so thoroughly!"
In moments, crowds streamed down mountain paths, a river of pale robes and awestruck faces pouring toward the forbidden valley.
Lyralei stood at the threshold, watching the golden column soar as she braced herself against a pressure unlike any she’d ever sensed. Only one person could have caused this. "Has he... unlocked the legendary inheritance?" she wondered, pulse quickening.
She didn’t hesitate—she rose into the air, backlit in radiant light as she gripped her command slip and sent a flurry of orders through the sect.
"All peak masters and elders gather at the inheritance place! Elders, activate each peak’s defenses; Origin Formation must be readied at once."
In response, figures streaked across the mountains—the heady power of the grand elders summoned in their wake.
Peak masters and grand elders arrayed themselves in a protective circle, hands forming seals, silent incantations echoing in the wind. Spirit energy flared, a mighty formation awakening beneath the roots of the whole sect.
From within and without, a shimmering blue barrier surged skyward, locking the entire Azure Origin Dao Sect inside a shell of spiritual energy thick enough to stop anything.
Lyralei floated amid the formation, her voice ringing coldly over the wind.
"All disciples! Sect-wide alert!"
A moment later, her voice carried for leagues:
"All parties within a hundred-mile radius—depart, or face the Azure Origin Dao Sect’s wrath!"
A tide of onlookers—rogues, spies, strangers—halted, cowed by the infamous might of the Azure Origin Dao sect and Lyralei’s peerless command. Light after light flashed and disappeared, retreating from the barrier’s border.
Only once did Lyralei allow herself a flicker of anxiety as she scanned the horizon for new threats.
Such commotion could only mean danger—or salvation—for the Azure Origin Dao Sect. For once, hesitation was not an option.
If Ethan successfully awakened the legendary inheritance, the sect’s fate would transform. But no one could be allowed to interfere.
Waiting just outside the formation, a cold wind carried a strange ship to her line of sight.
A tiny green vessel settled on the wind, its hull pulsing with rarefied spiritual light.
A distinguished elder in crimson Tao robes stood confidently at its helm, white beard glowing in the golden rays.
Beside him, a youth not yet seventeen gazed at the spectacle, his eyes sparking with ambition.
Though young, his spiritual aura blazed—already at the Soul Formation Realm, leagues ahead of his peers.
Lyralei recognized them instantly.
Obsidian Howl, supreme elder of Wisteria Cloud Valley, the great sect that had long vied with Azure Origin Dao for dominance. His cultivation had soared for centuries, their petty feuds always threatening to break into war.
Obsidian’s voice cut through the tension. "This is the Azure Origin Dao Sect. Someday, you’ll see this land as Wisteria Cloud Valley’s domain. I brought you to see your future conquest."
The youth’s gaze locked on Lyralei. For a heartbeat, awe mingled with covetousness.
"So this is the famed empress Lyralei..." he murmured, unwilling respect lacing his words.
Obsidian nodded, a sly gleam in his eyes. "If you like her, boy, then grow strong! One day, return and conquer her as your prize."
His crass intent was clear; his ambition, unhidden.
"Disciple will work hard," the young man, Kai, said respectfully, bowing slightly to his master.
A/N:
Extra Chapters
100 power stones - 1 Extra Chapters
200 power stones - 2 Extra Chapters
Capsule - 1 Extra Chapters
Massage Chair - 3 Extra Chapters
Luxury Car - 5 Extra Chapters
Magic Castle - 15 Extra Chapters