After he finished arranging everything, Jared prepared to go into seclusion and heal.


    Rnd personally picked out the hidden chamber with the thickest spiritual energy for him, then setyer afteryer of wards around it to make sure nothing could go wrong.


    Jared stood at the entrance to the hidden chamber and looked over the group.


    "While I''m in seclusion, Cloudhaven City is in your hands."


    Rnd bowed. "Rest easy, Your Majesty. I swear I''ll protect Cloudhaven City with my life."


    Luther thumped his chest and said, "Don''t worry, Mr. Chance. As long as I''m here, nobody''sing to stir up trouble!"


    Grace gave a light nod, her gaze steady.


    Vivian stepped forward and looked at Jared. "Jared, you need to focus on healing. Leave everything outside to us."


    Jared nodded, then let his gaze fall on Evelyn.


    Evelyn hurried to say, "Please don''t worry, Young Lord. I''ll recover properly. I won''t cause everyone any trouble."


    Jared gave another quiet "mm," then turned and walked into the hidden chamber. The door to the hidden chamber slowly closed, shutting out everyone''s eyes along with the outside world.


    Jared took out the Pentacarna Tower, then entered it and began to recover.


    Without any change in the flow of time inside this hidden chamber, it would have taken Jared years to fully recover.


    But with the Pentacarna Tower, things were different. Time moved much faster there. One day outside was a hundred days inside the tower, so he only needed a little over ten days to recoverpletely.


    This time, his injuries were heavier than they had ever been before.


    Most of his bloodline had been stripped away, his meridians were badly damaged, and his spiritual energy was almostpletely drained.


    If his foundation hadn''t been deep enough, if he hadn''t held on this hard, he would have copsed long ago.


    But Jared did not stop there.


    He had walked through countless life-and-death fights, and by now he already knew that every grave injury was a tempering.


    As long as he endured it, his strength would climb another step.


    He took out several healing elixirs and swallowed them, then closed his eyes and


    began guiding the medicinal force through his damaged meridians.


    Silence settled over the Pentacarna Tower.


    Only a faint golden light moved slowly around his body.


    Meanwhile, outside the hidden chamber.


    After Rnd arranged the guards, he left with the others.


    Evelyn Ashcroft was settled into a guest room, where Grace stayed behind to tend to her wounds.


    Luther went up to the city walls and kept watch over the movement outside.


    Vivian stood high in the city lord mansion, looking toward the hidden chamber for a long time without saying a word.


    She kept seeing Jared as he had looked when he came back.


    That pale face. That weakened breath. The sight of it pressed down on her chest and would not ease.


    Then she thought of the woman named Evelyn Ashcroft.


    She thought of the way Evelyn had leaned against Jared, and something sharp and sour rose in her chest all over again.


    She knew there had never been any shortage of women around Jared.


    She knew too that whaty between her and Jared was nothing more than a deal made through a marriage-bybat arrangement.


    Even so, she still couldn''t stop herself...


    Vivian shook her head, let out a bitter littleugh, and turned away.


    Maybe this was just fate.


    *****


    While Jared was recovering, Darian, the Demon Dragon Chieftain, had already been


    alone in the deep Demon Marches for several days.


    The Demon Marches stretched without end.


    The farther in he went, the harsher everything became.


    The dark red lightning in the sky grew thicker and thicker, and every strike that


    crashed down carried enough force to ruin the world.


    Across the ground, boilingva channels ran everywhere, giving off a choking sulfur stench.


    The air was thick with demonic aura.


    An ordinary, cultivator would only need one breath of it before the


    mind gave way and the body


    fiend that knew nothing but


    ing. g


    Darian moved through that demonic aura in the form of a massive dark red dragon.


    A strange light flowed across his scales, holding back the demonic aura as it tried to eat into him.


    He flew like that for five full days.


    Five dayster, he finally reached the deepest part of the Demon Marches.


    Whaty there was a dead in.


    Not a single de of grass grew there, and even theva was gone.


    The ground was carpeted in ck gravel that flickered with an eerie sheen under the dark red lightning.


    At the center of the in stood an enormous ck pce.


    It was several times grander than the Demon Dragon Hall, built entirely from an unknown kind of ck crystal.


    Dark red lines moved across its surface like blood vessels, faintly pulsing as if the whole thing were alive.


    Around the pce, wards were packed so densely together it was hard to see where one ended and another began.


    Any single one of them was enough to kill a True Immortal Realm expert.


    Dariannded in front of the pce, changed back into human form, and dropped to his knees with his head lowered.


    "Your subordinate, Darian, asks to see my lord."


    His voice rolled out over the dead in and echoed in the stillness.


    A momentter, the doors of the pce slowly opened, and a beam of ck light


    shot from within and fell over Darian.


    "Come in."


    An aged voice rang out, stripped of any warmth or feeling.


    Darian drew in a deep breath, rose to his feet, and walked into the pce.


    The inside of the pce was even grander than it had looked from outside.


    The ceiling arched so high it was


    impossible to tell where it ended et


    and countless dark red gemstones were set into it each one giving an eerie glow.


    The surrounding walls were carved full of ancient runes, and dark red light flowed


    through them as if they were living things.


    At the very center of the great hall sat an enormous ck throne.


    On the ck throne sat an old steward.


    The old steward''s face was deeply lined with age, and his white hair hung loose


    over his shoulders.


    His eyes were a deep violet, so profound they seemed able to swallow every trace


    of light.


    His aura waspletely drawn in, impossible to read.


    But Darian knew this was the one who truly ruled the Demon Marches.


    He was Mordren, the Lord of the Demon Marches, the very existence who had


    turned Darian and the others into Demon Dragons all those years ago.


    And beside Mordren stood two people.


    One man and one woman, both wearing young faces.


    The man wore a ck robe.


    He had sharp features, star-bright eyes, and the hint of a smile at the corner of his


    mouth.


    His aura ran deep as the sea, giving off a sense no one could measure.


    The woman wore a long purple dress.


    Her face was stunning, her bearing cool, and her eyes shone bright as stars.


    She stood quietly at the man''s side, her gaze resting on Darian with a faint look of scrutiny.


    Darian nced at the two of them, and a flicker passed through him.


    He had never seen either of them before.


    Who were they?


    Why was he allowed to stand at my lord''s side?


    But Darian didn''t ask any more questions. He only dropped to his knees with full respect, knocked his head to the floor, and said Your subordinate, Darian, greets my lord."


    Mordren lifted a hand slightly, signaling for him to rise. "Get up. What did youe here for?"