Aurelius nced at him.


    He gave a light shake of his head and let out a quiet chuckle, contempt and control both sitting in his tone.


    "Kill them? Why should I kill them?"


    He rose slowly to his feet.


    His wide sacred robe dragged across the floor as he walked down the golden steps, hands sped behind his back, looking down over the entire great hall with crushing authority.


    "The Celestial Pce may have lost, but they still have quite a few things our Celestial Basilica badly needs. Resources from the secret realm, the secrets of Sacred Mountain, even the fleshly body of a Ghost n Venerable. We''ve wanted those treasures for a long time, and we''ve never been able to get them."


    "If we kill them now, all of that could disappear for good. We might never find it again. Wouldn''t that be aplete loss for us?"


    "Besides, Godric may have fallen low, but he was still once a ruler in his own right. And the disciples under him were all dead men forged through war.


    Later, when it''s time to deal with the demon and the Demon Dragon Lineage, and when it''s time to deal with Skr, they might still be useful. They can serve as our cannon fodder and take the hits for us."


    He paused.


    A cold glint passed through his eyes, along with naked calction.


    "As forter..."


    "Once every bit of value has been squeezed out of them, once I''ve gotten


    everything I want and taken hold of every secret in the Celestial Pce, then their fate will be nothing more than a word from me. However I want to deal with them, however I want them to die, that''s how it''ll be."


    "Keeping them alive right now is nothing more than making use of trash."


    The Guardian Elder finally understood.


    Admiration filled his eyes, and he bowed again and again. "Hall Master is wise. I am far beneath you. Your nning is thorough, every stepid in advance. It''s truly impressive."


    Aurelius only smiled faintly.


    He said nothing else, turned, and slowly walked toward the rear court.


    His figure gradually disappeared into the holy radiance deep inside the great hall.


    Only one cold, indifferent order remained behind, drifting through the empty great hall.


    "Send people to watch them. Keep them under constant surveince. Don''t miss a single move they make. If there''s the slightest sign of trouble, no need to report it. Kill them on the spot."


    When thest word fell,


    the great hall sank back into silence.


    The holy radiance stayed as pure as ever.


    The Sacred Sun kept turning.


    But everyone knew.


    The Celestial Basilica and the Celestial Pce had long since moved past something as simple as giving shelter and being sheltered.


    Both sides were hiding their own schemes, each one waiting on the other.


    On the surface, everything looked calm.


    Underneath, the currents were already churning, and danger sat in every shadow.


    At that same moment, in the hidden chamber of the city lord mansion in Cloudhaven City...


    Jared sat cross-legged inside the Pentacarna Tower.


    Golden draconic energy moved around him in slow, steady streams.


    Only three days had passed outside.


    Inside the tower, months had already gone by.


    Those months of secluded cultivation had healed every wound on his body.


    The ces scorched open by hellfire had long since closed and returned to normal, and the spiritual power inside him had grown denser and heavier than it had been before he was injured.


    His cultivation at the peak of High Immortal Realm Level Four had started to loosen atst.


    He was only one step away from Level Five.


    Jared slowly opened his eyes and let out a long breath of stale air.


    He raised a hand and looked at the golden radiance turning through his palm.


    There wasn''t the slightest hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth.


    In his mind, that figure in flowing purple refused to fade.


    "Josephine..."


    "Where are you now?"


    "Was there ever even a moment when you thought of me?"


    Jared closed his eyes and drew in a long breath, forcing down the storm that had been rising inside him.


    He knew this wasn''t the time to drown in thoughts of love. Skr was still alive. Josephine still hadn''t returned. He could not afford to fall.


    He put away the Pentacarna Tower, rose to his feet, and pushed open the door to the hidden chamber.


    Outside, Vivian was leaning by the wall. The second she saw him step out, she hurried over, her voice quick and tight.


    "Jared, you''re alright? Already?"


    "Yeah. The Pentacarna Tower helped a lot."


    Jared looked at her worn face, and the hard edge in him eased.


    "You''ve worked hard these past few days."


    By now, Jared wasn''t hiding anything from Vivian anymore.


    He and Vivian still hadn''t truly cultivated together, but what she carried for him, Jared had long since understood.


    If Josephine hadn''t suddenly appeared and thrown him off guard, he might have already had Vivian beneath him.


    Vivian shook her head and had just opened her mouth when a burst of footsteps came from outside the courtyard.


    Lydia and Luther walked in side by side.


    Lydia wore a ck dress, and her aura had settled a lotpared to a few days ago. It was clear her injuries had mostly recovered.


    Luther stayed at her side. His face was still a little pale, but there was nothing weak about the way he carried himself.


    "Jared, you''re awake."


    Lydia came to a stop in front of him and looked at him. Somethingplicated


    flickered through her eyes before she spoke.


    "How well have you recovered?"


    "I''m fine now."


    Jared nodded.


    "Thank you for saving my life, Princess Lydia."


    Lydia lifted a hand and waved it off.


    She didn''t answer. She only looked at him like she wanted to say something, then


    stopped.


    Seeing that, Luther stepped forward.


    "Jared, the princess and I need your help with something."


    Jared looked from one to the other. Their faces had gone heavy.


    "What is it?"


    Luther exined Lydia''s reason foring all over again.


    Something had gone wrong in the Ghost n Reincarnation Division in the Fifteenth Firmament. Countless Ghost n spirits were trapped inside it, and the only way into the deepest part of the Reincarnation Division to save them was through the Door of Reincarnation.


    And right now, the Door of Reincarnation was in Mr. Sanders''s hands.


    "Mr. Sanders is close with you. So do you think you could..."


    Lydia looked at him, a clear note of hope in her eyes.


    "Help me get in touch with him and borrow the Door of Reincarnation? The entire


    Ghost n will repay you well."


    Jared went quiet for a moment, then slowly shook his head.


    "It''s not that I won''t help. It''s that... I can''t reach Mr. Sanders either."


    The light in Lydia''s face dimmed a little.


    Jared looked at her.


    "Mr. Sanders is a mysterious man. He does whatever he wants. He''s always the one


    who finds me. I can''t find him."


    "Every time, he only shows up when I''m at my most desperate, when I''m in the


    worst danger. Other than that... I can''t contact him at all."


    He wasn''t making excuses.


    From the mundane world to the Ethereal Realm, and now all the way to the celestial


    realm, every time Mr. Sanders had appeared, Jared had already been standing at the edge of a dead end.


    Other than that, Mr. Sanders might as well have vanished off the face of the world. There wasn''t a single trace of him to be found.


    Lydia lowered her head, and the disappointment in her eyes wouldn''t stay hidden.


    She had fought her way from the Fifteenth Firmament to the Fourteenth Firmament. After finally tracking down news of the Door of Reincarnation, she''d thought a way forward was finally opening up.


    Instead, it had led her straight into another dead end.


    Jared watched the slump in her face for a moment before he said, "I can''t reach Mr. Sanders right now, but Princess Lydia, you don''t need to give up yet. Once finish dealing with things in the Fourteenth Firmament, I''ll go with you to the Fifteenth Firmament. As for the Reincarnation Division, I''ll find a way to help you."


    Lydia lifted her head and looked at him. A faint light came back into her eyes.


    "You''re willing to go to the Fifteenth Firmament?"


    "Of course. You saved me twice. I can''t just stand by and do nothing." He paused.


    "But before that, there''s one more thing I need to do."


    He looked off into the distance, and a hard chill flickered through his eyes.


    "While I was in seclusion, the Celestial Pce took the chance to send an army against Cloudhaven City. They killed nsmen of my Sky Dragon n, and they


    wounded my brothers and friends.


    That debt is due."


    Lydia''s brow lifted slightly.


    "You''re going to attack the Celestial Pce?"


    "The Celestial Pce is badly weakened right now. This is the best


    time to move." Jared stood with his hands behind his back, his presence steady as a mountain. "When & someone''s down, you finish them. If


    the Celestial Pce isn''t wiped out, it''ll be trouble sooner orter."