The sky above Hewitt territory was still trembling from the aftermath of Jalen's fury. The Spirit Peak Realm cultivator lay in fragments—his body devoured by the abyssal tendrils of Shadow Devour, leaving behind only a crater of silence and dread.
Jalen stood, breath steady, eyes burning. Jael clung to his back, silent, his small hands gripping Jalen's shoulders. The boy hadn't spoken since the battle began, but his presence was steady—anchored to the one person the world couldn't shake.
Ronald and the other elders had arrived too late to witness the full carnage, but they saw enough to understand.
Sion remained behind, hidden with his daughter, shielding her from the chaos.
But they weren't the only ones watching.
Miles away, cloaked figures from the other nine top families observed from the shadows, their qi suppressed, their eyes wide. They had come to witness the Hewitt downfall—but instead, they saw a storm incarnate.
Jalen ignored them.
He turned to Ronald, his voice low but firm. "I apologize for the damage."
Ronald stepped forward, placing a hand on Jalen's shoulder. "There's no need. If you hadn't come… our family would've been wiped out."
Jalen nodded once, then mind-linked Sion. Stay for a few days. I'll come back come get you when this is all over.
Sion's reply came instantly. Ok.
Without another word, Jalen vanished—his body becoming a blur of shadow and light, with Jael against his back, racing across continents.
____
It took him a few hours to reach the Ruona Continent using Flash Reversion. When he arrived, the air was thick with unfamiliar qi. The once vibrant Flare Estate stood silent—its gates broken, its banners torn.
Jalen's heart pounded—not with fear, but with fury.
Jael stirred slightly, sensing the tension, a change in Jalen that he had never felt before.
He asks softly:
"Father, what's wrong?"
Jalen replies with calm reassurance:
"Your dad is fine, so don't worry too much."
Jael smiles, comforted.
Jalen then began to search for signs of lives. His parents, his little brother, Simon, Jana… even Simar. A disciple, a servant, anybody.
But the estate was empty. Deserted.
He moved through Emberfall City, cloaked in shadow, listening to the whispers of civilians and rogue cultivators. The truth came in fragments—gossip, fear, and bitterness.
The Ember Pearl Royal Family had overthrown the Flare Family. The Shadow Sect and Erupt Family who now serves under the royal family had been gifted control of the territory.
Those two again.
Jalen clenched his fists. The last time he spared them, it was because they retreated. Because they hadn't chased him or tried to kill him again after the clash between Simon and the royal family.
But mercy had its limits.
And today, it had run dry.
He found the Erupt Family Estate easily. Their arrogance made them loud—visible. He didn't knock. He didn't announce himself.
He simply appeared Jael clinging onto him like a broach.
The guards didn't even have time to react before their shadows turned against them, swallowing them whole.
Jalen moved like a phantom, bypassing defenses, barriers, and formations. He located the patriarch's quarters and stepped inside.
Denis Erupt—the same man who had threatened him in the arena—was seated in meditation. His aura pulsed with Imperial Realm power now.
But it meant nothing.
Jalen didn't speak. He didn't offer a warning.
He raised his hand—and the shadows surged.
Shadow Devour erupted, a tide of black tendrils laced with frost qi and soul pressure. Denis opened his eyes just in time to scream.
Then he was gone.
Not just him. Every elder in the estate—those who had once stood beside Denis in the arena—were consumed. Their qi, their bodies, their souls. Devoured.
It didn't take long for the younger generation to realize what was happening. Screams echoed through the estate. Panic spread like wildfire.
Jalen walked through the chaos, untouched.
Then he saw him.
Jason Erupt.
The young man who had tried to kill Rana. Who had broken the rules. Who had ignored the announcer's call. Who had activated a mystic-level spirit tool to destroy her.
Jason froze when he saw Jalen. His body still bore the scars from that day—his arm twisted, his qi unstable.
"You…" Jason whispered, backing away. "You shouldn't be here…"
Jalen didn't answer.
Jason turned to run.
He didn't make it two steps.
A spear of shadow pierced his chest, lifting him off the ground. He screamed, flailing, begging.
But Jalen ignored him.
The shadows surged again.
Jason Erupt died screaming.
Jalen didn't linger. He moved on—toward the Shadow Sect.
Their estate was buried deep in the Obsidian Ridge, cloaked in illusions and defensive arrays. But none of that was able to stop Jalen. With his breath like dusk technique formation was useless.
The guards didn't see him. The elders didn't sense him. Not until it was too late.
He walked through the gates like a ghost, his qi masked, his presence silent. Then he released it.
A wave of killing intent swept through the sect, suffocating and cold. Cultivators dropped to their knees. Some tried to flee but never made it out alive. Others tried to fight.
None succeeded.
He reached the central hall, where Marcus, the Shadow Sect patriarch, was holding court. The same man who had threatened him in the arena. Who had tried to erase him.
Marcus stood, his aura flaring. "You dare—"
Jalen raised his hand.
Shadow Devour.
The hall exploded in darkness. Elders screamed. Marcus tried to resist, summoning his full Imperial Realm power.
It wasn't enough.
Jalen's qi had evolved. His mastery of frost, light, and shadow had reached a level few could comprehend. Marcus was devoured—his body torn apart, his soul consumed.
The sect trembled.
Jalen turned to the remaining elders and raised his hand again.
The shadows obeyed.
By dawn, the Shadow Sect has become a frozen wasteland. The Erupt Family estate was empty; those whom Jalen left alive, who are women, children, and young men his age or a little older, left out of fear.
Emberfall City, on the other hand, was in an uproar. But Jalen didn't stay behind for the drama. He was now approaching Ember Pearl City.