The endless forest stretched beneath the setting sky like an ocean of green.
Cold winds drifted across the mountains while distant beast cries echoed faintly through the vast wilderness below.
High above—
an invisible figure continued gliding silently through the air.
Lizarius.
But compared to before—
his speed had noticeably slowed.
The white lizard's golden eyes remained calm and unreadable.
*Far enough.*
The Azure Sky Sect now lay extremely far behind him.
Even if the Nascent Soul cultivators reacted immediately—
they would not be able to locate him anytime soon.
Still—
he could not afford to lower his guard.
The white lizard's gaze swept slowly across the land beneath him.
Towering mountains.
Dense forests.
Jagged stone cliffs.
Then—
his eyes stopped.
Far below—
a massive canyon stretched deep through the wilderness.
Ancient.
Dark.
Almost completely concealed beneath layers of mist and overgrown forest.
Lizarius slowly descended.
The wind currents shifted around his invisible body as he lowered himself deeper into the canyon.
The further down he went—
the darker the world became.
Steep black cliffs blocked most of the remaining sunlight overhead.
Cold moisture clung to the stone walls.
And deep below—
faint traces of spiritual energy drifted quietly through the darkness.
Natural spiritual veins.
Not large.
But stable.
The invisible lizard finally landed soundlessly atop a massive stone platform hidden deep within the canyon.
Silence enveloped the area immediately.
No beast cries.
No human presence.
Only the distant sound of dripping water echoed softly through the darkness.
Lizarius observed his surroundings carefully.
Patiently.
Then—
he floated upward once more.
Deeper into the canyon.
Further downward into the endless darkness.
The surrounding spiritual energy gradually became denser the lower he descended.
Minutes passed.
Then—
Lizarius suddenly halted before an ordinary-looking stone wall buried deep within the canyon depths.
He stared at it silently for several moments.
Then moved closer.
Without the slightest hesitation—
his body passed directly into the stone itself.
Earth manipulation flowed quietly around him.
The surrounding rock parted soundlessly while the white lizard continued moving deeper and deeper through the mountain interior.
Darkness surrounded him completely.
Stone shifted naturally around his body like flowing water.
Eventually—
he stopped.
Then—
the surrounding earth suddenly pushed outward.
RUMBLE…
A hidden chamber rapidly formed within the depths of the mountain.
Stone walls expanded outward smoothly before hardening instantly beneath his control.
The underground chamber became completely sealed from the outside world.
Silent.
Hidden.
Secure.
Lizarius landed gently upon the stone floor.
His body slowly became visible once more within the darkness.
The white lizard glanced around the newly created chamber briefly before inwardly speaking calmly.
*This will do.*
His tail flickered lightly.
One by one—
six glowing Golden Cores floated outward into the air before him.
Each radiated dense spiritual power.
Golden light illuminated the underground chamber faintly.
Lizarius stared at them in silence for a moment.
Then—
without hesitation—
he opened his maw.
One core disappeared inside.
Then another.
And another.
He consumed all six without pause.
The spiritual pressure within the chamber instantly became unstable.
Violent energy surged through the white lizard's body like raging tides.
Dark-blue lightning flickered faintly across his scales.
The surrounding stone trembled beneath the pressure leaking from his body.
Yet Lizarius remained calm.
His small form slowly lowered onto the stone floor.
Then curled inward naturally.
His tail wrapped around himself.
His golden eyes gradually dimmed.
Heavy spiritual energy continued pulsing endlessly from his body, growing denser and denser around him.
Then—
slowly—
the white lizard closed his eyes.
And silence returned to the depths of the mountain once more.
Then—
within his consciousness—
"Fuse Gene," he said.
The system's cold mechanical voice echoed immediately afterward.
**[Confirmed.]**
**[Beginning Bloodline Fusion.]**
**[Golden Tyrant Dragon Gene → Blood Fury Bloodline.]**
**[Compatibility Detected.]**
**[Warning: Fusion process may induce temporary instability.]**
Lizarius remained motionless.
His eyes stayed closed.
Unmoving.
"Initiate."
The moment the word left his mind—
BOOOOOOM!!!
Violent energy erupted throughout his body instantly.
The entire chamber trembled violently.
Stone walls cracked apart beneath the pressure.
Dark-blue lightning exploded wildly across his scales while crimson energy surfaced beneath them like flowing blood vessels.
Lizarius's eyes snapped open instantly.
For the first time in a very long while—
pain appeared within them.
Not external pain.
Internal.
Every drop of blood within his body felt like molten metal violently colliding against itself.
His muscles tightened uncontrollably.
Bones creaked beneath the pressure.
CRAAAAACK!!
The white lizard's jaws opened slightly.
A low growl escaped from deep within his throat.
The crimson energy spread further.
It moved like living blood through every vein beneath his scales while golden draconic aura erupted intermittently around his body.
The fusion had begun.
And the two bloodlines—
were devouring each other.
The crimson aura thickened further.
Then suddenly—
golden scales briefly surfaced beneath portions of his white scales before vanishing once more.
The surrounding air distorted violently.
**[Fusion in Progress.]**
His tail twitched sharply.
Then—
for the briefest moment—
a phantom silhouette appeared behind him within the darkness.
It was not fully formed.
Only partial.
A massive draconic shadow with glowing crimson eyes.
It vanished almost immediately afterward.
Yet the pressure it left behind remained terrifying.
Lizarius slowly exhaled.
Smoke escaped between his teeth.
The system's voice echoed once more.
**[Bloodline Fusion Stabilizing.]**
**[Adaptation in Progress.]**
The chamber gradually returned to silence afterward.
Only the slow sound of heartbeat-like pulses continued echoing through the darkness.
A week later—
the Azure Sky Sect remained shrouded beneath an atmosphere of fear.
The mountain pathways once bustling with disciples now felt unnaturally quiet.
Conversations had become whispers.
No one laughed loudly anymore.
No one spoke carelessly about entering the Azure Root Forest.
Because everyone already knew.
The Sect Leader was dead.
Six Golden Core Elders had fallen alongside him.
And somewhere beyond the distant mountains—
that white-scaled monster still existed.
Cold mist drifted quietly between the towering sect peaks while spiritual cranes circled restlessly through the skies above.
Far above the Inner Sect—
hidden behind countless layers of formations—
stood the Ascension Grounds.
A forbidden region.
Normally silent.
Untouched.
Only elders possessing sufficient authority could approach it.
Even Core Disciples rarely caught sight of the place.
Massive stone stairways climbed endlessly toward the mountain summit where ancient palaces rested high within the clouds themselves.
The spiritual energy here was far denser than anywhere else within the sect.
Heavy.
Almost suffocating.
And now—
Elder Mo was climbing those stairs.
Quickly.
His robes fluttered violently behind him while traces of pale exhaustion still lingered across his face.
Although his injuries had partially recovered—
his aura remained unstable.
The backlash from manifesting his damage laws had not fully disappeared.
Every so often—
a faint trace of dark blood surfaced at the corner of his lips before he quietly wiped it away.
But he ignored it.
Because compared to the matter at hand—
his injuries no longer mattered.
The stone stairs stretched endlessly upward.
Ancient pressure lingered across the mountain path itself.
Yet Elder Mo never slowed.
Inside his thoughts—
the battlefield replayed itself endlessly.
Storms.
Blue flames.
Lightning.
Golden Core Elders dying one after another.
And those eyes.
Those cold golden eyes.
Just remembering them caused his chest to tighten slightly.
Eventually—
the stairway came to an end.
At the summit—
an enormous stone gate stood silently beneath drifting clouds.
Ancient runes glowed faintly across its surface.
The surrounding air itself felt unnaturally still.
As though the mountain itself were sleeping.
Elder Mo stopped before the gate.
Then slowly lowered himself onto one knee.
His voice echoed respectfully across the silent summit.
"Azure Sky Sect Elder Mo…"
"…requests an audience with the Supreme Elders."
Silence answered him.
Clouds drifted quietly overhead.
No response came.
Yet Elder Mo remained kneeling.
Patiently.
Respectfully.
Because he understood clearly—
beings at that level did not answer merely because someone requested their presence.
Time passed.
The summit remained deathly still.
Even the winds seemed afraid to disturb the silence surrounding the ancient gate.
Elder Mo lowered his head slightly further.
Sweat slowly gathered beneath his robes despite the cold mountain air.
Not from exhaustion.
But pressure.
The invisible pressure lingering beyond the gate was enough to suffocate ordinary cultivators instantly.
This was the dwelling place of the true foundations of the Azure Sky Sect.
The monsters who had carried the sect through countless generations.
The Supreme Elders.
Even cultivators outside the sect would bow respectfully before their names.
And now—
he had come to report the greatest humiliation in the sect's recent history.
Another stretch of silence passed.
Then—
without warning—
the clouds above the summit suddenly shifted.
A deep rumbling echoed across the heavens.
The enormous stone gate trembled slightly.
Ancient runes lit up one after another across its surface like awakening stars.
Elder Mo's pupils contracted immediately.
The gate slowly began to open.