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Just as Yae-hime returned to her residence, deep within a frozen mountain range somewhere in Siberia, a cluster of crude wooden cabins could be seen. Among them, the largest cabin still had white smoke rising steadily from its chimney.

“Kill… A-Aurora… kill Ronald… for me…”

Inside the heat-filled room, an elderly man with a gaunt face, deathly pale complexion, and frail breathing stretched out a trembling hand to grasp the blonde girl’s hands beside the bed as he spoke in broken intervals.

His voice was weak, yet it carried undisguised hatred and murderous intent. This emaciated old man hovering at death’s doorstep was none other than Silver Wolf Lucia, the one who had fought Ronald to the death in the Himalayas years ago.

That battle had directly affected the future development of both nations. Strictly speaking, it had been a duel with no true victor.

Although Ronald had narrowly won in the end, both of their bodies had completely collapsed from that ultimate battle, forever severing any hope of further advancement. Silver Wolf in particular had become bedridden not long after returning home. And once he lay down, decades passed in that state.

Such agony and torment were far beyond what ordinary people could understand. His hatred for Ronald had accumulated over the years, reaching an unprecedented level.

If not for that man, his path of advancement would never have been broken. If not for that man, he would never have become a cripple! It was him. Him! Everything was because of him!

“Ronald!!” Using the very last breath left in his body to roar the other man’s name, Silver Wolf finally died. Even in death, his widened eyes never closed.

“You’re finally free now, Grandfather.” The girl called Avelora spoke softly. There was no grief in her voice. Instead, there was an indescribable sense of relief and happiness. She was genuinely glad for her grandfather’s death.

Because from the day she was born until now, at eighteen years old, her grandfather had remained trapped in bed, enduring inhuman suffering every single day. Each time she heard his agonized screams and the hatred-filled cries of that man’s name, Avelora herself suffered immensely.

Yes, she too had been tormented. That hatred carved into the soul, etched into dreams themselves, had caused her unbearable pain. The man named Ronald had brought her endless suffering. Only by killing him could she finally be freed.

“Rest in peace, Grandfather. I will definitely bring back Ronald’s head to honor your grave.” As she spoke, she pressed her left hand against Silver Wolf’s head. In the next instant, all the energy that had yet to dissipate from his body was completely absorbed by her.

Moments later, the shriveled corpse turned into white ash and scattered across the bed. This was the Silver Wolf clan’s unique inheritance ritual. Now, Avelora had inherited not only Silver Wolf’s power and will, but also all of his hatred.

“Cathay… I’m coming. Ronald… I’m coming.” Slowly rising to her feet, Avelora revealed beneath the orange-yellow lamplight a beautiful face adorned with a pair of silver eyes.

***

Meanwhile, far away in Roc City, Cathay, Ronald stared at the challenge letter in his hand with a puzzled expression. The person challenging him was Dominus of Dragonbane Mountain in Jinxi Province.

“I’ve got no grudges with this Dominus fellow. Why’s he suddenly looking to duel me?” No matter how hard he tried to think about it, Ronald could not recall having any conflict with Dominus.

“Forget it. Since someone’s challenging me, I’ll accept.” Shaking his head, a cold glint flashed through Ronald’s eyes. He had never been someone afraid of trouble.

“Now that the world is changing and spiritual energy is reviving, this may very well be my chance to defy fate itself. I’ll use this battle to restore the strength I once possessed.”

Under normal circumstances, Ronald’s injuries would continue affecting his strength. The longer he lived, the more severe the decline would become. But now, because Yae-hime had reopened the gate to that world once again, Aqua Blue Star was undergoing rapid awakening.

The abundant spiritual energy filling heaven and earth provided tremendous nourishment to Ronald, who had once stood at an extremely high realm, allowing his strength to recover at astonishing speed.

Dominus’ challenge had come out of nowhere, yet it held immense value for Ronald. If all went smoothly, he could recover most of his former strength through this battle. With that power, he would be able to suppress his injuries and then gradually break through to a higher realm by harnessing the spiritual energy.

And once he stepped into the Martial Saint realm, he would gain a new life!

Suppressing the excitement surging within him, he carefully read through the contents of the challenge letter.

“So the battlefield is Mount Azure Dragon beyond the border. Good. Very good. I’ll settle everything with you there.” Crushing the challenge letter into a ball and tossing it into the trash bin, Ronald picked up his phone. After hesitating for a moment, he dialed Xina’s number.

Regarding Dominus, he decided not to inform Mylene. Because he knew his precious granddaughter would definitely try every possible way to stop him if she found out.

Not long afterward, Xina drove Ronald toward Mount Azure Dragon in the Ability Management Department’s modified black SUV. Although she desperately wanted to tell Mylene about this matter, the pressure from her elder ultimately kept her from tattling.

…

Beneath the same night sky, on the rooftop of an unfinished building in Roc City. Yae-hime sat on the large bed placed side by side, carefully reviewing the information gathered by Vera’s clones.

As for the five little girls, they were happily eating in the separated small living room nearby. Tonight’s late-night meal was exceptionally lavish, every dish prepared with expensive ingredients. The girls were practically drowning in happiness as they ate.

“That enormous whirlpool and those waterspouts in the Pacific Ocean were probably caused by that giant monster. It’s still far away from Cathay, so it won’t pose a threat to me anytime soon.”

Looking at a high-definition satellite image, Yae-hime spoke calmly. The image had been hacked back by Vera’s clones and had never been released to the public network. Now that Little Blue was absent, the girls had finally begun showing their usefulness.

‘I almost forgot these five little brats are all top-tier hackers.’ Looking toward the dining area, the corners of Yae-hime’s lips curved upward slightly.

Retracting her gaze, she turned to the second image. Displayed upon it was a vast sea of blood that seemed to boil endlessly, looking incomparably grotesque and terrifying. As though it were… the Sea of Hell itself!

“The situation there is far too strange. Even in my previous life, I never learned the truth behind the Blood Sea.” Her slender jade-like fingers swept lightly through the air, and the image instantly vanished.

In Yae-hime’s eyes, the Blood Sea posed little threat to her, so its priority naturally dropped to the very bottom.

“As for the anomalies at the North and South Poles… forget it. Those places are too far away. I’ll ignore them for now.” With another wave of her finger, both images disappeared simultaneously.

The game had already entered a critical phase. Even if she wanted to interfere, she simply had no time to deal with it.

Speaking of the game, Yae-hime had originally planned to return to Aoma Village first and discuss the anomalies with Little Blue. But the moment she thought about how those two little girls who seemed to suffer from sleepwalking tendencies would clamp onto her the instant she logged in, she immediately abandoned the idea.

At this point, there was nothing she could do to change the situation anyway. Besides, there was currently no way to bring the City of Chaos back yet. Rather, before understanding the full situation, she did not even dare to bring the City of Chaos back.

“The Nine Cauldrons’ phantom… the legendary national treasures capable of stabilizing a nation. I really want them.”

When she saw the image of the Nine Cauldrons suspended across the sky, Yae-hime’s eyes sparkled brightly. Unfortunately, since she had no idea where the real artifacts were located, all she could do was stare at them longingly.