"Get out," Jared roared.


    Cedric scrambled upright in a panic, then fled in miserable disgrace with the celestial cultivators.


    He did not dare look back even once.


    The Pyre Chasm fell quiet.


    Quiet as death.


    Everyone was looking at Jared, their eyes filled with shock and dread.


    An Elder of the celestials at True Immortal Realm Level Four could not withstand even one move in front of him.


    A celestial cultivator at True Immortal Realm Level Two could not block even a single palm strike from him.


    What kind of monster was this man?


    The old steward from the Wandering Cultivators Alliance-Windclear-was the first to recover.


    Windclear drew in a deep breath and tried to force the shake out of his voice before he spoke.


    He had lived for thousands of years. He had seen storms of every kind. Even so, what had just happened in front of him still made his chest tighten and his pulse m against his ribs.


    "Fellow Adept." He stepped forward and gave Jared a respectful bow. When he spoke again, there was an unmistakable note of careful favor in his voice. "Thank you for driving off the celestials for us. I am Windclear, an Elder of the Wandering Cultivators Alliance. May I ask your name?"


    Jared nced at him. "Jared."


    Windclear stalled for a beat, and the color in his face shifted on the spot.


    "Jared? The Jared who wiped out the Celestial Basilica and the Celestial Pce in the Fourteenth Firmament?"


    Jared didn''t answer. He didn''t deny it either.


    He hadn''t expected word of what happened in the Fourteenth Firmament to reach the Fifteenth Firmament already.


    Windclear''s expression shifted again and again before it finally settled into a radiant smile.


    It looked almost too sincere. The corners of his eyes had folded into deep creases from how hard he was smiling.


    "So it really is Fellow Adept Jared! I''ve heard so much about you, I''ve heard so much. You''re this young, and your cultivation is already at this level. Your future is beyond measure. The Wandering Cultivators Alliance will always wee you as a guest!"


    "Fellow Adept Jared!"


    A burly beast-race man stepped out from the crowd and cupped his fists in salute.


    He was broad and tall, his muscles knotted thick across his frame. Three blood- colored streaks were painted across his face. He was Wolf-Fang, a battle general of the Skywolf Tribe.


    His voice boomed like thunder, loud enough to leave people''s ears ringing. "I am Wolf-Fang, an Elder of the Skywolf Tribe. Thank you for stepping in to help us. That Cedric Gilt went too far. If you hadn''t acted, the brothers of our Skywolf Tribe would''ve taken a heavy loss today. If you ever need anythingter,e to the Skywolf Tribe and find me!"


    "Fellow Adept Jared!" A demon cultivator hurried up as well.


    ck demonic aura wrapped around his whole body, blurring his features until only


    a pair of blood-red eyes could be seen flickering through it.


    His voice came out low and cold, but even he forced a thread of goodwill into it. "I am Shade, an enforcer of the demon Shadow Hall. I''ve long heard your name. Fellow Adept, your chaotic force truly lives up to its reputation."


    For a while, the different factions all started moving toward Jared, each one trying to show him goodwill first.


    One cultivator after another came forward. They introduced themselves, offered name cards, and invited Jared to visit their territory.


    "Fellow Adept Jared, I am Cloudspire, an Elder of the Azure Cloud Sect. This is the Azure Cloud Sect''s calling card. If you ever pass by the Azure Cloud Sect, you muste in and sit for a while!"


    "Fellow Adept Jared, I am Selene Voss, n Chief of the White Fox Tribe. This is a token from the White Fox Tribe. If you ever need anything in the future, the White Fox Tribe is willing to serve you with everything we have!"


    "Fellow Adept Jared, I''m from the beast race..."


    Jared lifted a hand and cut off the stream of praise.


    "You can take the emberstone crystals," he said.


    His voice wasn''t loud, but every person there heard it clearly. "But there are two conditions."


    Everyone sharpened their attention and held still.


    "First, the biggest emberstone crystal is mine."


    Nobody objected. Nobody dared to.


    "Second, the Nether Mountain Range is where the Ghost n hides.


    From this day on, no one is allowed to search it, dig there, or disturb it in any way. Otherwise..."


    He didn''t finish the sentence, but everybody understood.


    If anyone crossed that line, Cedric Gilt''s fate would be the example.


    "Understood, understood!"


    Windclear was the first to speak up. He thumped his chest and gave his word.


    "The Wandering Cultivators Alliance will never cause trouble in the Nether Mountain Range! If anyone dares stir up trouble there, my Wandering Cultivators Alliance will be the first to refuse it!"


    "The Skywolf Tribe too!" Wolf-Fang shouted. "If anyone dares harass the Ghost n, they''re making an enemy of my Skywolf Tribe!"


    "Shadow Hall too!" Shade quickly added.


    The other factions hurried to echo them.


    Jared gave a small nod, turned, and walked over to thergest emberstone crystal.


    He put it into his Storage Ring.


    Then he prepared to leave.


    But the instant he turned, his gaze swept across the crowd and abruptly stopped. Several cultivators in the crowd had caught his attention.


    It wasn''t because they were powerful. Their cultivation wasn''t high at all, and the strongest among them was only at True Immortal Realm Level Two.


    It wasn''t because of the way they were dressed, either.


    Their clothes were ordinary. Thrown into the crowd, they didn''t stand out at all.


    What drew Jared''s eye was the aura on them.


    It was an aura so faint it was almost nothing, buried deep and hidden well.


    If not for the Ice God Bloodline fused into his body, he never would have caught it.


    That trace of aura was cold, pure, and ancient.


    It matched the aura on Gwendolyn exactly.


    The Ice God Bloodline.


    Jared''s step checked for half a beat.


    Gwendolyn had sensed it too.


    Her gaze passed over the crowd andnded on those few cultivators.


    A tiny flicker crossed her eyes, buried so deep most people would never have seen


    it.


    Something she had held down for ten thousand years slipped through for an instant.


    But she didn''t move.


    Neither did Jared.


    He only let his eyes rest on them a few moments longer in the crowd, fixing their faces and their auras in his mind.


    Then he left the Pyre Chasm with Gwendolyn.


    Behind them, the cultivators from every faction looked at one another and stayed quiet for a long time.


    "That man..." Windclear muttered. "He''s not someone we can afford to provoke." Nobody argued with that.


    "Pass the order down," Wolf-Fang


    said to the beast-race warriors beside him. "Starting today, nobody


    is allowed to cause trouble in the Nether Mountain Range. If anyone dares step out of line, I''ll teachis head off myself."


    "Yes!"


    Shade lowered his voice and gave a few instructions to his own men.


    The demonic cultivators all nodded.


    Inside the Pyre Chasm, the factions began collecting the emberstone crystals in an


    orderly way.


    No one fought over them anymore. No one started another sh.


    Jared''s intimidation worked better than any rule ever could.


    And in the crowd, the few cultivators


    Jared had noticed quietly


    their things and slipped out Pyre Chasm without a sound.


    Nothing showed on their faces, but every one of them was turning over the same


    question.


    Why had that man just looked at me?


    Jared and Gwendolyn walked the road back to the Moonshade Realm.


    For a long while, neither of them said a word.


    "You felt it too?" Gwendolyn finally said.


    "I did." Jared nodded. "Five of them. Two in the True Immortal Realm Level Two,


    and three in the True Immortal Realm Level One."


    At that cultivation level, they would have counted as top experts in the Fourteenth


    Firmament.


    But in the Fifteenth Firmament, they were only ordinary cultivators.


    Gwendolyn went quiet for a moment. "The purity of their bloodline... it''s higher than I expected."


    Jared turned to look at her. "You''re not nning to go to them now?"


    Gwendolyn shook her head. "No rush. If I go to them now, it''ll draw too much attention. Once things settle down, I''ll find a way to make contact."


    Jared nodded and didn''t press her any further.


    He knew Gwendolyn had her own n.


    Rebuilding the Frost Deity Branch was never going to happen in a day.


    It would take patience.


    It would take strategy.


    It would take waiting for the right moment.


    The two of them kept walking.


    Behind them, the Pyre Chasm sat in silence under the falling dusk.


    Wind climbed up from the bottom of the pit, carrying a trace of warmth.


    Jared suddenly thought of that old man.


    Then those fire spirits.


    Then the gifted child with the highest talent of them all.


    "The me isn''t power. It''s life."


    The words slipped out under his breath.


    Gwendolyn nced at him. "What did you say?"


    "Nothing." Jared smiled. "Come on. L''s still waiting for me to tell her a story."


    The corner of Gwendolyn''s mouth lifted a little, but she said nothing. They picked up their pace and headed toward Moonshade Realm.