Ember swallowed several healing elixirs, sat down cross-legged, and after stabilizing her breath slightly, she spoke with suppressed hatred.
"Father, Ethan looks like nothing special on the surface. He claims to be a body cultivator, crude and straightforward, without much background."
"But in reality… he has been hiding his strength."
"He found the legendary Spiritual Valley before all of us."
"Spiritual Valley?" Valerius's eyes narrowed.
"The habitat of the Hibiscus Sacred Tree?"
As soon as those words were spoken, the atmosphere changed.
Not only Valerius, but the other palace masters of the Palace of the Four Cycles and many senior figures imdiately gathered around.
The Wind Palace of the Wind Sable Clan, the Slaughter Palace of the White Tiger Clan, and the Heavenly Palace of the Tengu Clan—all their leaders and top Ultimate Demon Lords arrived one after another.
Ember, Eryon, Sorrel, and the remaining survivors sat cross-legged in the center and began recounting everything that had happened in the Training Trial Secret Realm.
Valerius and the others listened in silence.
"Hibiscus Sacred Tree?!"
"The legendary Hibiscus Sacred Tree was actually inside the Training Trial Secret Realm?!"
Shock rippled through the crowd.
Even the usually composed palace masters could not hide their disbelief.
"Yes," Ember continued.
"The Spiritual Valley existed there. The Hibiscus Sacred Tree was sleeping, and all nine Hibiscus Fruits were fully mature."
"Not only that—there were countless natural treasures, rare herbs, and spiritual plants throughout the entire valley."
Sorrel exhaled deeply, his injuries gradually recovering under the effect of the dicine.
"It's just a pity," he said bitterly, "that we didn't obtain a single Hibiscus Fruit. Not one treasure. Nothing."
When he recalled how the Palace of the Four Cycles had entered the Training Trial Secret Realm with overwhelming confidence, only to be beaten to pieces by Ethan, nearly annihilated, and expelled empty-handed, anger surged uncontrollably in his chest.
The head of the White Tiger Clan slamd his palm down.
"Where are the rest?"
Sorrel sneered coldly, completely unafraid.
"The geniuses of the Heavenly Palace?"
"They were beaten by Ethan until they couldn't even stand up."
"You little bastard, how dare you speak to like that!" Linus roared, rolling up his sleeves.
Before he could take a step forward, a mocking voice rang out.
"Old man Linus, do you think I don't exist?"
Caspian, the master of the Wind Palace, smiled coldly as he spoke.
"Enough."
A deep, steady voice cut through the tension.
The speaker was Oberon, the master of the Heavenly Palace of the Tengu Clan.
He wore a green robe, his figure tall and slender, his appearance refined. But at this mont, his expression was extrely ugly.
Because until now,
The young patriarch of the Tengu Clan, Zeph, and the two elders who accompanied him had not returned.
Oberon stepped forward and looked directly at Ember.
"I ask you, Miss Ember," he said slowly.
"Why hasn't Zeph co out yet? Weren't you acting together?"
Ember's expression stiffened.
"It's unfortunate," she replied evenly. "Zeph… and the two elders… are dead."
"What?!"
Oberon's eyes flew open. A terrifying aura erupted from his body, surging straight into the sky.
"Who did it?!"
"Was it Ethan?!"
His voice trembled with barely restrained rage.
"Yes," Ember nodded.
"After entering the Training Trial Secret Realm, we initially gathered together to search for inheritances and treasures."
"But for so unknown reason, Zeph led his n away."
"When I sensed sothing was wrong and went to look for him, I only found traces of battle. No bodies."
"Later, we encountered Ethan, who was with Elara of the Sky family."
"Zeph and the two elders must have died at Ethan's hands—so thoroughly that not even their remains were left behind."
"Ethan… again!"
Tyler, the commander of the Heavenly Palace, clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.
Oberon closed his eyes and took a long breath.
If he had known this would happen, he would never have allowed Zeph to go investigate Ethan or approach the Sky family.
But regrets were aningless now.
When Ethan erged—
He would personally tear him apart, bone by bone, to avenge the young patriarch and the two elders of the Tengu Clan.
"So," Caspian said grimly, "what thod did Ethan use to kill Zeph and also injure all of you so severely?"
"And besides… didn't we still have that technique—"
Before he could finish, Valerius raised his hand.
A spatial barrier instantly ford, isolating the area from the outside world.
"Continue," Valerius said, his voice heavy.
Ember nodded.
"I don't know whether Zeph used the Blood Sacrifice Reincarnation Technique earlier."
"But later, in the Spiritual Valley, when we fought Ethan for the Hibiscus Fruits."
"All three clans used the Blood Sacrifice Reincarnation Technique."
"The ancestral souls descended."
"At that mont, we should have secured absolute victory."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"But unexpectedly… Ethan suddenly stopped being suppressed by the laws of the Training Trial Secret Realm."
"His realm returned to its peak."
"And he possessed an extrely terrifying artifact."
"Relying on that artifact, Ethan killed all three ancestral souls."
"In order to survive, we were forced to shatter our Sage Tokens and escape."
"We gained nothing."
As she spoke the last sentence, Ember's eyes reddened. Her lips trembled, and her fists clenched until blood seeped between her fingers.
Silence fell.
After a long mont, Valerius spoke.
"The Blood Sacrifice Reincarnation Technique has been exposed," he said calmly.
"Yes," Ember replied.
"People from White Emperor City were present in the valley."
"Alina was there. She cooperated with Ethan."
"The nine Hibiscus Fruits, the treasures of the Spiritual Valley, and all the rare herbs…"
"They are all in Ethan's hands."
Before the crowd could even digest the exposure of the Blood Sacrifice Reincarnation Technique and the loss of multiple ancestral souls—
A more shocking revelation hit them.
"Nine Hibiscus Fruits?!"
The expressions of everyone present changed violently.
"The Hibiscus Tree bears fruit once every ten thousand years," soone muttered.
"A total of nine fruits…"
"And each fruit is guarded by a three-legged golden crow."
Valerius's gaze turned cold.
"Ethan was not restricted by the laws of the secret realm."
"He possessed a divine weapon capable of sweeping the entire Training Trial Secret Realm."
"The nine Hibiscus Fruits—and every treasure in the Spiritual Valley—fell into his hands."
The words fell like a death sentence.
The Blood Sacrifice Reincarnation Technique had been exposed.
Multiple Sage Tokens had been destroyed.
Three ancestral souls had been annihilated.
And now...
Nine Hibiscus Fruits were lost.
Linus's face twisted as he looked at Valerius.
"Our Palace of the Four Cycles has suffered such a loss," he said hoarsely.
"What should we do now?"
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