The imperial expedition began withdrawal at sunrise.
No one argued with the Third Prince's decision.
Whatever was sealed beneath the battlefield was not something young Core Formation cultivators should gamble against.
The teams regrouped near the ridge.
Some injured.
Some silent.
Everyone more cautious than when they arrived.
Kael walked near the rear of the formation.
He could still feel the faint resonance from beneath the basin.
Not loud.
But present.
Watching.
Halfway up the eastern slope, the first attack came.
Not from beneath.
From above.
Black arrows descended silently from the ridge.
Three imperial guards fell instantly.
Poisoned.
Core-level.
The Third Prince's aura exploded outward.
"Formation!" he ordered.
Hidden figures emerged along the rocky ridgeline.
Masked.
Uniformed in dark grey armor.
Organized.
Not bandits.
A prepared strike force.
Aric stepped forward immediately, cutting down an incoming arrow mid-air.
"Ambush," he said calmly.
Kael scanned quickly.
Ten visible attackers.
At least three Core Formation.
The rest Foundation Peak.
Position advantage.
They had waited until the expedition was weakened.
Strategic.
The lead attacker removed his mask.
A scarred face.
Cold eyes.
"You should have let the seal break," he said.
The prince's gaze sharpened.
"You."
So he recognized him.
Internal imperial knowledge.
This was not foreign invasion.
This was factional conflict.
The attackers moved first.
Two Core Formation enemies targeted the prince directly.
The others spread out to disrupt formation.
Kael did not hesitate.
He intercepted one Core Formation attacker before he reached the injured nobles.
Their clash cracked stone.
The attacker's Qi was sharp.
Efficient.
Trained.
"Viremont heir," the attacker said. "You shouldn't have interfered below."
Kael did not respond.
He shifted his circulation.
Their blades collided.
The attacker expected ordinary Core Formation resistance.
Instead, he felt pressure.
Heavy.
Structured.
Kael stepped inside the blade arc and struck his opponent's shoulder joint.
Bone cracked.
The attacker retreated instantly.
Skilled.
Not reckless.
Across the slope, Aric engaged another Core Formation enemy.
His style was direct.
Clean.
Disciplined.
He forced his opponent back steadily.
The Third Prince fought two at once.
Core Formation Peak strength dominating the battlefield.
But even he could not protect everyone simultaneously.
One masked attacker slipped past the outer line and rushed toward a wounded Foundation noble.
Kael noticed instantly.
He disengaged from his opponent mid-clash.
The masked attacker lunged.
Kael intercepted from the side.
Palm strike.
Direct impact to the chest.
This time he did not hold back.
Blood Devouring Art surged fully for a moment.
The attacker's Core Formation energy collapsed violently.
His eyes widened in shock.
He fell instantly.
Dead.
The surrounding combat paused for half a breath.
The drain had been visible.
Crimson threads flashing briefly.
Aric saw it clearly this time.
So did the prince.
Kael withdrew the technique immediately.
His core absorbed the energy cleanly.
His own aura stabilized even further.
The scarred leader narrowed his eyes.
"So that's your method."
Kael met his gaze calmly.
"You wanted the seal broken," Kael said. "Why?"
The leader smiled coldly.
"Because empires rot. Something stronger should rise."
Fanatic.
Not random mercenary.
A faction that believed the ancient entity should awaken.
The prince drove one of his opponents into the cliffside and finished him cleanly.
"This ends now," he said.
He signaled.
Imperial reinforcements, delayed but not absent, appeared along the ridge from hidden positions.
The attackers hesitated.
Their advantage was gone.
The scarred leader stepped back.
"This isn't over," he said calmly.
Then he retreated with remaining forces.
Disciplined withdrawal.
Not desperate.
They had tested strength.
Measured response.
And confirmed something.
Silence returned gradually.
Imperial healers moved quickly among the injured.
The prince approached Kael.
"You exposed your technique," he said evenly.
"It was necessary," Kael replied.
The prince studied him carefully.
"That wasn't ordinary absorption."
"No."
"Dangerous."
"Yes."
The prince did not press further.
But the look in his eyes had changed.
Less testing.
More calculation.
Aric approached next.
"You drained a Core Formation cultivator in seconds."
"Yes."
"That will draw attention."
"I know."
Silence lingered.
Aric did not accuse.
He did not judge.
But he now understood clearly—
Kael was not simply accelerating.
He was evolving.
As the expedition regrouped fully and began final withdrawal, Kael glanced once more toward the battlefield basin.
The seal remained intact.
But now he understood something.
There were those who wanted it broken.
Not for chaos.
For ideology.
For power.
And those people would not stop.
The stage had widened again.
Imperial factions.
Ancient entity.
And now—
Open conflict between unseen powers.