Rowan laughed as he plunged straight into the ruptured elixir cauldron.
"Six years of slaughter… I'll wipe out every last drop."
Lightning exploded from his body.
The already-damaged cauldron tore itself apart from the inside, detonating in a storm of metal fragments and blinding light. Thousands of glowing pills burst into the air and were instantly reduced to ash by raging thunder.
At least, that was what everyone else saw.
In truth, Rowan had seized the entire stockpile the moment he entered, transferring it into his private world. What disintegrated in the lightning were flawless replicas.
Vexar's scream echoed across the courtyard.
"My elixirs!"
Rage twisted his face. His body warped and expanded, bark-like flesh surging outward as he assumed his colossal tree-form.
"Kill them! Kill every last one!"
Rowan didn't waste another second.
He signaled the Dragon Kings and turned toward the outer gates.
"Move!"
They tore across the Sanctum at full speed.
The value of what Rowan had just taken was incalculable. Even divided among them, it could elevate everyone's strength by an enormous margin. For Rowan himself, it meant accelerating his growth in this world beyond anything slow cultivation could achieve.
They reached the towering jade archway.
Nothing happened.
Beyond the gate was not the Kunlun Range.
It was still the interior of the Sanctum.
Rowan exhaled slowly.
"So he sealed it already."
Above them, black storm clouds spiraled into existence, rumbling with catastrophic power.
Vexar's voice rolled like thunder.
"The master's grand formation is active. You're trapped."
Rowan remained calm.
"Good thing I planned for this."
Before entering the Sanctum, Rowan had left behind a distant projection of his consciousness outside, anchored to the real world. That anchor existed beyond the Sanctum's sealed dimension.
Teleportation inside was impossible.
Crossing dimensions was not.
Rowan drew a line through the air.
Space split open.
A circular gateway formed, revealing open sky and the distant peaks of Kunlun.
"Go!"
They leapt through.
In the next heartbeat, they were outside the Jade Apex Sanctum.
Vexar stared in disbelief.
He recovered instantly.
"After them!"
The formation dropped.
The gates reopened.
Vexar and a large force of disciples surged out of the Sanctum and gave chase.
Rowan glanced back.
"Guess it's time to remind him who started this."
He opened his private world.
A tidal wave of dragons and sea-beasts poured into the sky, blotting out sunlight.
"You handle the others," Rowan said. "Vexar is mine."
Rowan's body erupted into shadow and scale.
In an instant, he transformed into an enormous black dragon, vast enough to eclipse clouds.
He charged.
Vexar roared and expanded as well, becoming a towering arboreal titan, branches crackling with lightning and flame.
They collided.
The shockwave flattened nearby peaks.
Rowan fought like a living catastrophe.
Vexar hurled spells.
Rowan devoured them.
Vexar unleashed divine techniques.
Rowan burned through them with alien fire.
Claws, fangs, and the Ruyi Jingu Staff smashed into Vexar's massive frame again and again.
Vexar's advantage vanished.
Then it reversed.
"How… are you this strong?!" Vexar bellowed.
Rowan answered with another crushing blow.
Below them, the Dragon Kings, Vexar, and the sea host clashed with the pursuing disciples in a sky-shattering melee.
The tide turned quickly.
Vexar realized it at the same moment Rowan did.
If this continued, his entire force would be annihilated.
"Withdraw!"
Vexar tore himself free, battered and bleeding sap, and fled back toward the Sanctum.
The disciples followed in chaos.
Rowan did not pursue.
He reverted to human form and recalled the sea host.
"That's enough."
The message was delivered.
He could have killed Vexar's avatar.
He chose not to.
Some enemies were better left alive.
For now.