Part 1: The Last Act in the Azure Sect
Arthur returned to the Sect carrying the "shattered remains" of Elder Moa's robes, his eyes brimming with (manufactured) tears. He stood before the High Council of Elders, claiming that Elder Moa had heroically sacrificed his life to hold off a treacherous ambush by three Demonic Commanders, allowing Lian (Arthur) to escape and warn the Sect.
"He died with the name of our Sect on his lips!" Arthur cried, his voice breaking perfectly.
Thanks to his [Dark Allure] skill, not a single soul doubted his sincerity. Since he was the "only" witness to the battle, and considering his sudden breakthrough to the Golden Core Realm (which he claimed was triggered by the life-and-death pressure and a forbidden pill given to him by Moa), he was appointed as the Provisional Commander of the Northern Front.
Part 2: The Scorched Earth Policy
Using his newfound authority, Arthur began executing his "Double Annihilation" strategy. He leaked calculated, misinformation to both the Azure Cloud and the Demonic Sects. He lured the elite forces of both sides into a death trap within the "Valley of Mists."
While both factions were busy slaughtering each other in a suicidal war of attrition, Arthur activated his true loyalists—those he had rescued from the mines and bound to his energy through weak cultivation techniques. Under the cover of the war's chaos, they began systematically looting the treasuries of both Sects.
"Today, the idols fall," Arthur whispered, watching the Great Hall of the Azure Sect burn from a distance. "And from these ashes, the Void Syndicate shall be born."
Part 3: The Journey to the Eternal Spring
From the memories he devoured from Elder Moa, Arthur extracted the secret coordinates of the "Eternal Spring." The Spring did not exist in a fixed location; it manifested within a temporal rift atop the "Black Moon Mountain."
Arthur set off alone, using his stolen [Lightning Speed] to cover vast distances in mere hours. He wasn't just looking to drink from the Spring; he intended to use his [Void Devour] ability to swallow the Spring entirely, merging it into his own internal cultivation world. If he succeeded, he would never need external resources again—he would become the source of immortality itself.
Upon reaching the summit, he found the Spring guarded by an ancient "Celestial Beast" of the Void Ascension realm—a level of power no human on Earth had witnessed in centuries.
Arthur looked at the massive, glowing beast and smiled coldly. Black energy laced with lightning began to radiate from his body. "I have devoured elders, geniuses, and a fiancée... You are just another grand meal on my path."