Caine slowly looked up, eting the World Will Eye's gaze without hesitation. Their stares clashed for a few long monts, as if testing each other's resolve, before the skies above rumbled once more.
The clouds swirled and condensed, forming a dense sphere. This sphere hardened, glowing faintly before it cracked apart, revealing a swirling black portal that radiated chaotic arcs of lightning.
The portal spun faster and faster, pulling neutral qi from the world around it, supercharging itself until it seed to reach a state of saturation.
In the blink of an eye, the once tiny portal expanded, covering the entire sky and casting a dark shadow over what appeared to be the entire world. And with another blink, a colossal pillar of lightning, as thick as a giant's finger, descended toward Caine and the land below.
Everyone except Caine found themselves encased in crystal-like dos of qi, protected by the world from the wrath of the tribulation. The pillar's destructive power was ant solely for him.
Yet Caine seed unconcerned. His gaze remained locked on the World Will Eye, sothing peculiar stirring deep within him.
What did it an to et the consciousness of the world itself eye-to-eye? The feeling was surreal, almost ineffable, especially now that his affinity for all things had grown so profound.
Caine sighed softly, finally breaking their locked gazes. Ti seed to slow for him as he observed the pillar, which had yet to touch him.
Within his Bond Space, the Lightning star rotated once, awakening all the Beast Progenitor eggs related to lightning. At the sa ti, dark blue runes blood along Caine's arm, and his bones shimred with resplendent light.
He raised a palm toward the sky, extending his fingers before clenching them into a fist. The air itself seed to fold and tear like fragile silk under the force of his grip.
The descending lightning pillar shattered into countless fragnts that rained down slowly, glowing like falling stars. Just as they began to dissipate, Caine's Lightning star rotated again, and all the shards were pulled into his body, devoured by the star's insatiable energy.
The World Will Eye narrowed slightly, its gaze lingering on Caine for a few monts longer before finally dissipating. The storm clouds above cleared, revealing a radiant blue sky illuminated by a warm, golden sun.
The glowing runes on Caine's skin dimd, fading into nothingness as he exhaled heavily.
Exhaustion weighed on his expression. "It's quite tiring to use these abilities without any Qi supply," he mused.
"I should probably start using neutral qi again. It's better than nothing." A faint smile crossed his lips. "Things have co full circle, haven't they?"
He turned to Lilith, who stood so distance away. "Alright then, it's ti for to go. Hopefully, we'll et again in the future."
Lilith chuckled softly, her response laced with amusent. Without another word, she turned and walked toward her people.
Caine didn't mind the lack of farewell. With a slight movent, he teleported to Zao, where Lilith and her group soon departed.
"See you soon, little prince," Lilith's voice carried faintly on the wind as her crow mount soared into the horizon.
Zao leaned lazily against his eagle mount, side-eyeing the foolishly grinning Caine. "Of all the people in this world, you just had to get tangled up with the craziest of them all. You and your father are specins I'll never understand."
"Entangled?" Caine asked, his brows furrowing in confusion.
Zao chuckled but didn't respond. With a light tap of his foot, the eagle unfolded its massive wings. In one powerful flap, it soared into the sky, heading toward the Tiless Alliance.
***
The Clan Gathering.
The Tiless Alliance was composed of five Heavenly Clans, all under the authority of the Royal Velios Clan. Together, these six clans ford the foundation of the Alliance's power. Each clan had its heir, and Caine was one of them.
Once an heir completed their coming-of-age ceremony, they were required to prepare for the Clan Gathering, a grand event that determined the Alliance's Holy Scion.
The Holy Scion represented the Alliance's hope for the future—a leader who would receive the faction's most precious resources and unwavering support.
Caine, by virtue of his bloodline, was already considered the de facto Scion. Yet the Clan Gathering posed a unique challenge. Even his exceptional lineage couldn't guarantee his position.
The competition would be fierce. Beyond facing the heirs of the Heavenly Clans—many of whom had years of cultivation advantage—Caine would also contend with the heirs of the minor clans under the Alliance's domain. It would be a brutal fight for supremacy.
***
Above the Clouds.
On a platform floating high above the clouds, five veiled figures sat upon golden thrones.
Though their youthful vitality was palpable, their auras radiated terrifying power. Each of them appeared only a step away from ascending to the Sage Realm.
"Any news?" asked a voice, its tone twisted and warped, making it impossible to discern its gender.
"No," another replied. "As I've told you before, it's impossible to gather any intel on him. Ever since the stunt the Renala pulled, he's been under heavy protection. Not even the ancestors dare to investigate him."
"It's this bad?" The question was laced with surprise.
The veiled figures, heirs to the Heavenly Clans, were rarely involved in worldly matters.
They had spent most of their lives in deep seclusion, erging only when necessary to interact with the Alliance for resources.
"Mhm. It's terrible. The number of ancestors we've lost since that incident keeps rising."
A heavy silence filled the air as the heirs contemplated the situation. None of them feared Caine. To them, he was just a sixteen-year-old at the start of his cultivation journey.
What threat could he pose to those who had spent decades honing their strength?
What intrigued them more was Zao. The man's ability to routinely eliminate their ancestors while remaining untouchable was frightening. Even more concerning was the lack of backlash—his reputation remained unsullied despite his actions.
"It doesn't matter," one of them finally said, their voice calm yet resolute. "As long as we crush the boy, he won't be able to act against us. He's only been able to cause such chaos because he has leverage."
"Once the boy is gone, we can execute our plan and divide power as the ancestors originally envisioned."
The others nodded in agreent, their expressions hidden beneath their veils.
Their resolve was clear. The Clan Gathering would be the end of Caine.
Reviews
All reviews (0)