"The momentum is still soaring?!" Seraphina's eyes widened in disbelief.

The ripples on the surface of Sun Moon Lake pulsed with eerie energy, shifting through stages like a cultivation breakthrough.

First turn.

Second turn.

Third turn.

...

Until the surge reached the fifth turn of the Mahayana realm—and then, it stopped.

An awe-struck silence fell upon all who witnessed the display, their breaths caught in their throats.

"Why did Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets send a super master of the fifth-turn Mahayana realm to practice in Sun Moon Lake?" an elder muttered, incredulity and resentment mingling in his voice.

"Was he hiding his strength before?" another whispered, eyes darting toward Michael.

"How can a man barely fifty years old reach this level of cultivation?" one scoffed in disbelief.

"The Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets not only demanded quotas before, but now they shamelessly send old monsters at the fifth turn of the Mahayana realm to compete with us juniors for Sun Moon Lake's essence? How arrogant!" elders and juniors alike felt indignation rise in their chests.

The disciples of the three great families brimmed with fury.

"The fifth-turn Mahayana realm! This man's strength is exceptional at this level. Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets truly plays dirty!" Seraphina frowned deeply, the bitterness clear in her eyes.

Aether was formidable, yes—a genuine genius.

His age was close to hers, and his cultivation level was the Dharma body state of physical cultivation, akin to a Tribulation Transcendence realm cultivator.

To stand against Mahayana realm masters, talent and cunning were crucial.

Sharp mind, powerful attack methods, and killing techniques allowed Aether to hold his own.

But Michael was a different story.

This was outright deceit.

She hadn't known that such an ancient monster had lived for hundreds of years.

It was utterly shameless and unfair!

Aether, after all, had already claimed ninety percent of the lake's essence of sun and moon.

Now Michael, casting off pretense, revealed the viciousness of his technique.

Is this to be tolerated?

"Don't the three great families protest?" Seraphina wondered bitterly, eyes narrowing as she fixed her gaze on Michael.

When Ario Emberveil and the other clan heads saw Michael's unprecedented momentum, they were stunned briefly.

Then, anger darkened their faces.

In unison, the three heads turned to Oswin, the representative of Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets.

"Mr. Oswin," the Stormjade family head began, voice cold and accusing, "Is it not excessive for the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets to send a fifth-turn Mahayana realm powerhouse here to practice at Sun Moon Lake?"

"Moreover, the energy here barely benefits him at all, correct?" he asked pointedly.

"Excessive?" Oswin's eyes narrowed, a cold smile playing on his lips.

Beside him, Ava's proud expression mirrored disdain for the three families. If Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets wished to wipe out these three great families, it would be very easy. But this was Skyreach Territory—too far from their main base.

To move decisively and ruthlessly here would spark discontent among other powers.

Their Pavilion sought business, and harbored no wish to sully their own reputation by recklessness. But make no mistake: these families did not dominate because of luck.

They had risen through Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets' charity—and owed their rise to it.

The head of the Stormjade family clenched his teeth. There was simply no way to counter the strength beneath Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets. Even Oswin here was an eighth-turn Mahayana realm expert.

All they could do was grumble impotently.

Such was the burden of survival—endure humiliation or perish.

The Silkrain and Emberveil family heads clenched fists behind cold expressions. Fury boiled within, yet they remained powerless.

Oswin's voice sliced the heavy tension.

"Do not worry, everyone. Our Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets only seeks to suppress that kid's spirit. There is no intention to truly compete with a group of juniors for the barely sufficient spiritual energy and sun and moon essence here."

He spoke tactfully, aware the three great families balanced on a knife's edge.

Pushing them further could unite the families against Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets.

The Holy Land of Endless Mountains watched from afar, their gaze spanning all Skyreach Territory. Rivalries among local forces were permitted, but outside forces destabilizing the region would invite swift retribution.

The three families exhaled quietly, relief bubbling beneath their guarded hearts.

They offered no further protest.

Oswin's confident smile broadened.

"Beat a dog to give it sweetness—to soothe the pain. This tactic is timeless and foolproof."

The families understood all too well the cruelty of their plight.

Though masked in etiquette, it was the tragedy of the weak.

After Michael lifted his restrictions fully, the power he unleashed was ferocious.

An immense torrent of the sun and moon's essence surged back to him.

Others watched with seething rage and envy—all eyes silently acknowledging Aether's incomparable strength and talent.

No one could simply stand by, guarding the lake's spiritual powers and precious essence as if they were their last hope.

"Oh, no more pretending?" Ethan chuckled softly inside.

"Can you beat him?" Ethan asked Onyx in his mind.

"That little chick already reached the fifth turn of Mahayana realm.

Even if you don't use the devouring power, you should be able to beat him on your own, right?" Onyx's tone was both playful and curious.

"I don't want to fight," Ethan replied calmly.

"Our goal is steady. The Holy Land of Endless Mountains already haunts us. We cannot afford carelessness. If we cannot defeat Oswin, how could we deal with Michael?"

Ethan's chuckle bore both amusement and resolve.

"Well said. Screw them!" Onyx nodded enthusiastically.

The mask covering Ethan's face pulsed with purple-black radiance.

His devouring power magnified dramatically. The black vortex in his dantian swelled, expanding to about a foot wide beneath him. With a twist of intention, the essence of the sun and moon shifted direction once more.

Michael managed to reclaim fifty percent of the essence, but Ethan in turn recaptured much of it.

A/N:

Extra chapters

100 power stones - 1 Extra chapters

200 power stones - 2 Extra chapters

Capsule - 1 Extra chapters

Massage Chair - 3 Extra chapters

Luxury Car - 5 Extra Chapters

Magic Castle - 15 Extra Chapters

...

Thanks for the Massage Chair: @Sheng_Mei

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.