The storm above the Azure Root Forest gradually began to calm.
Dark clouds drifted slowly across the shattered heavens, while scattered bolts of lightning still crackled faintly between them, like lingering veins of a dying god.
Far below—
Lizarius descended silently through the devastation.
Collapsed mountains.
Burning forests.
Shattered rivers.
The battlefield stretched for kilometers beneath him, resembling the aftermath of some celestial calamity.
Yet within his thoughts, there was only calm calculation.
*It changes little.*
Even if Elder Mo had died alongside the others, it would only be a matter of time before stronger cultivators arrived to investigate.
Too many Golden Core cultivators had vanished here now.
Too much destruction had been left behind.
The outside world would not ignore this forever.
Which meant—
some form of escalation had always been inevitable.
The only true loss…
was the corpse itself.
And the evolution points it could have provided.
The white lizard's golden eyes narrowed faintly.
As for the tracking talisman—
that problem no longer carried much weight.
Because during the battle—
he had already prepared for this possibility.
Each elder carried one of those linked tracking marks.
And while fighting—
Lizarius had quietly placed his own mark onto all of them as well.
Including Elder Mo.
The lizard's tail swayed slowly behind him.
*If he approaches again…*
*I will know immediately.*
No more surprise tracking.
No more hidden observation.
The moment Elder Mo entered a certain range—
Lizarius would sense him first.
Balanced.
Controlled.
His glowing eyes swept slowly across the battlefield once more.
Then—
they stopped.
Far below the shattered earth—
a faint glimmer reflected through broken stone.
A jade ring.
The storage ring floated upward silently, lifted by gravitational manipulation, before drifting toward him.
Lizarius caught it casually.
Then—
without wasting another moment—
he descended toward the nearest corpse.
And began feeding.
The battlefield gradually fell silent afterward.
One corpse after another vanished beneath rows of lightning-sharpened fangs.
Golden Core flesh.
Bloodline essence.
Everything was consumed completely.
Minutes passed slowly beneath the fading storm.
Eventually—
the last corpse disappeared.
A cold mechanical voice echoed within his awareness.
**[Evolution Points Gained: 91,276]**
**[Bloodline Genes Acquired:]**
**— Golden Tyrant Dragon Bloodline.**
Lizarius slowly licked the blood from his maw.
His golden eyes remained calm.
Thoughtful.
Nearby—
several bloodstained Golden Core essences floated silently through the air under gravitational control.
One after another—
they were absorbed into the storage ring along with weapons, spirit tools, storage pouches, and various artifacts gathered from the battlefield.
Once everything was finished—
the white beast slowly began to shrink again.
Its massive draconic form gradually compressed.
Smaller.
Smaller still.
Until only the pale white lizard remained, floating silently within the ruined heavens.
The storage ring slid neatly back onto his tail, secured between the black spike-like scales.
Stable.
Hidden.
Secure.
Lizarius looked across the kilometers of devastation surrounding him.
Then inwardly—
his thoughts shifted once more.
*I cannot consume the Golden Cores within the valley.*
If a deep evolution sleep occurred afterward—
and Elder Mo or other cultivators tracked him during that vulnerable state—
the hidden valley would inevitably be exposed.
The cave.
The fox.
Everything.
Unacceptable.
Which meant he first needed preparation.
The tiny white lizard slowly faded from sight.
Turning invisible once more.
Then vanishing into the distant sky.
—
Some time later—
a small, invisible figure quietly returned to the hidden valley.
The concealed cave remained untouched beneath layers of stone and earth, exactly as before.
Inside—
the crimson-veined blood tree pulsed softly in the darkness, its faint glow breathing like a living heart, while the fox spirit continued cultivating nearby in silence.
Lizarius floated into the cave without a sound.
Then casually tossed several corpses of Spirit Refining beasts toward the roots of the crimson tree.
Immediately—
the tree reacted.
Its twisted crimson roots surged outward hungrily.
Piercing flesh.
Tearing through bone.
Draining blood.
Absorbing spiritual essence directly from the remains.
The cave dimmed further as the crimson glow intensified.
Lizarius simply watched for a brief moment.
Then descended lightly toward the cave floor.
The small white lizard landed without a sound.
Afterward—
earth manipulation spread outward through the surrounding stone.
The cave walls shifted.
Compressed.
Reinforced.
Additional layers of earth folded over the already concealed chamber, one after another, sealing it further.
Concealment strengthened.
Protection reinforced.
Only after finishing did Lizarius finally still himself again.
Golden eyes half-narrowed within the darkness.
Thinking quietly.
Soon—
he would leave.
Far from the Azure Sky Sect.
Far from the valley.
And then—
he would consume the Golden Cores.
A small invisible figure drifted silently across the night sky.
No sound followed him.
No spiritual fluctuations leaked outward.
Only faint distortions in the wind revealed that something was moving through the heavens at terrifying speed.
Below—
the hidden valley passed quietly beneath him.
Moonlight washed over the distant village, while thin streams of smoke still rose from sleeping homes.
For a brief moment—
Lizarius slowed slightly.
His golden eyes shifted downward.
Toward the earth beneath the village.
Toward the hidden clam buried deep underground beneath layers of stone and roots.
Toward Lian.
The white lizard remained silent for half a breath.
Then—
without stopping—
he continued forward.
Cutting through the bright sky like an unseen phantom.
Within his thoughts—
cold calculation continued steadily.
*I need distance.*
Far enough that even if deep evolution sleep occurred—
he would remain safe from discovery.
Far enough that the Azure Sky Sect could not immediately trace future disturbances back to the Azure Root Forest.
Far enough that Elder Mo's tracking would become meaningless.
The invisible lizard continued flying without slowing.
Mountains passed beneath him.
Rivers.
Ancient forests.
Everything blurred beneath the moonlight.
And still—
he pressed farther away from the sect.
—
Meanwhile—
far behind him—
the Azure Sky Sect had descended into chaos.
The once orderly mountain sect no longer carried its usual calm atmosphere.
Disciples gathered across courtyards and pathways, whispering nervously among themselves.
Some elders had not returned.
Communication talismans had gone silent.
And above the main sect plaza—
a single figure descended slowly from the night sky.
Unsteady.
Bloodied.
Exhausted.
Elder Mo.
The surviving Golden Core elder crashed heavily onto the stone platform, the impact cracking it slightly beneath him.
Nearby disciples froze instantly.
"E-Elder Mo?!"
His robes were torn.
Blood stained his body in multiple places.
His spiritual aura fluctuated chaotically, like an unstable flame on the verge of collapse.
Worst of all—
terror remained in his eyes.
Real terror.
The kind that could not be faked.
Several sect elders rushed out immediately after sensing his arrival.
The moment they saw him alone—
their expressions changed.
One elder stepped forward sharply.
"…Where is Sect Leader Yuan?"
Silence.
Elder Mo's breathing trembled.
Then slowly—
very slowly—
he raised his head.
His face was pale beneath the moonlight.
Almost hollow.
"…Dead."
The entire plaza fell into absolute silence.
Several disciples visibly froze.
One elder's expression stiffened.
"…What?"
Elder Mo's voice came out dry.
Broken.
"Everyone…"
"…is dead."
Silence deepened further.
Because no one could immediately comprehend those words.
Seven Golden Core cultivators.
Including Sect Leader Yuan himself.
Gone.
One elder's expression darkened violently.
"That's impossible."
But Elder Mo merely let out a weak, hollow laugh.
"…Impossible?"
His fingers trembled.
"You didn't see it."
The memory resurfaced in his mind instantly.
The storm.
The lightning.
The blue flames.
The overwhelming pressure.
Golden Core cultivators falling one after another without even the chance to escape.
And those eyes.
Cold.
Ancient.
Inhuman.
Elder Mo slowly lowered himself onto the cracked platform behind him, his body still shaking faintly.
Then finally—
he spoke in a low voice.
"…That thing…"
"…is not a normal spirit beast."