A flicker of greed, subtle, but unmistakable, glinted in the eyes of the enigmatic old man. He let out a low chuckle. “Good, good…”
With a sweeping motion of his sleeve, reality twisted.
In the blink of an eye, Jared was hurled into the chaos dimension.
The old man followed, grinning, eyes fixed on Jared. “You possess remarkable potential, young man… I can help you ascend to the earthly immortal realm.”
Jared pretended to be excited. “Thank you, sir!”
The elder raised his hand and rested it lightly atop Jared’s head.
Instantly, a gentle glow enveloped Jared’s body, soothing and radiant.
“Now, let me elevate your cultivation…”
But in the very next breath, the old man’s voice turned cold, cruel. His hand contorted, morphing into a swirling black vortex that began draining Jared’s life force with terrifying speed.
He thought had won. Until Jared’s eyes snapped open, blazing with power.
“Focus Technique!”
His spiritual core ignited, and the Focus Technique surged forth, turning the tide. The devouring reversed, siphoning energy from the elder in a sudden, violent backlash.
“W-What?” The elder recoiled, startled.
He tried to pull his hand back, but it was too late. His spiritual form was locked in place, unable to move.
“You old fox!” Jared sneered, eyes cold. “You might fool others, but not me. Offering a power boost just to siphon off their life force? Planning to resurrect yourself by stealing their bodies, aren’t you?”
The elder’s eyes widened in horror. “You… How do you know this ancient celestial technique?” His form began to tremble, the confidence draining from his voice.
Jared’s gaze sharpened, icy and resolute. “What a pity. You picked the wrong prey. Your cultivation is mine now!”
Boom!
Without warning, the Focus Technique surged again, an unstoppable tide of devouring energy. The elder’s spiritual form withered before Jared’s eyes, shrinking and unraveling at a terrifying pace.
“No!” the elder shrieked, his voice echoing in the void.
Then, with a final, chilling cry, his spirit shattered completely, dissolving into pure energy that rushed into Jared’s body like a tidal wave.
Power surged through him. In the blink of an eye, Jared’s cultivation leapt forward to the Wandering Immortal Realm, Level Three.
He was overjoyed, the aura around now sharp and unshakable. There was no longer any need to hold back. If Aziel dared utter even a single word out of line now, Jared would be more than ready to put in his place.
At Level Three of the Wandering Immortal Realm, even a Level Eight opponent was no longer beyond reach.
When Jared emerged alone from the chaos dimension, a tense silence fell over the group. All eyes turned to in disbelief.
“Where’s the old man?” Aziel demanded, anxiety lacing his voice.
Jared shot a cold, disdainful look. “Old man? He was nothing more than a parasitic ghost, feeding off others’ life force just to keep his wretched existence going.”
“What?” Gasps rippled through the group as shock registered on their faces.
“You’re lying!” Aziel snapped. “My cultivation level increased! Yours did too, didn’t it?”
“Sure,” Jared said with a cold chuckle. “But have you checked how much life force you have left?”
Aziel froze. His eyes narrowed in suspicion before quickly turned inward to inspect himself. Moments later, all color drained from his face.
“No… No way…” stammered, horrified. “I… I barely have a decade left…”
The panic spread like wildfire. The white-robed woman, Dexton, and the others hurriedly examined their life force. One by one, their expressions turned pale, dread creeping into their eyes.
“We… We’ve been deceived…” someone whispered.
Jemima clutched Jared’s hand, grip trembling slightly. “Thank goodness you saw through it…”
Jared gave a grim nod, his eyes narrowing as they drifted toward the three ancient coffins.
“These so-called ruins of the Anti-Celestial Sect… They’re nothing but a trap,” said coldly. “That wretched creature survived by siphoning the life force of intruders, preserving its spirit, waiting patiently for the right moment to return.”
Though some remained skeptical, they couldn’t ignore the truth their bodies whispered, life force was indeed slipping away, slowly and surely.
They were still only wandering cultivators, far from achieving true immortality. Once their life force was spent, their realms would stagnate. Decline would follow, then death.
With a roar of frustration, Aziel lashed out, striking the nearest coffin in a blind frenzy.
The central coffin was reduced to shards, but the other two remained intact. Mysterious runes danced across their surfaces, glowing faintly, shifting endlessly like living script.
Jared’s gaze locked onto them. He decided to open them and check.
There might still be something inside. We didn’t come all this way just to leave empty-handed…
Jared crouched beside the coffin, eyes narrowed as studied the swirling, cryptic runes etched into its surface.
Dexton scoffed from behind. “What do you know, anyway?”
