Outside the mountain gate, spectral figures in pairs and groups, headless and stiff, wandered towards the crowd. They were seeking the missing parts of their bodies to continue their cycle of reincarnation.


    Fear spread among the disciples of the Azure Cloud Pavilion, who were unaware of the sinister forces at y or who could have constructed such a malevolt spectacle outside their pavilion.


    The foul wind that blew ev caused some of the more faint-hearted disciples to faint, a wind that carried a deathly aura capable of shattering the psyche!


    Following this, many elders from the Azure Cloud Pavilion arrived. Among them, a stunning woman in red, Elizabeth, appeared numb as she stood before the spectacle, lost in a daze. However, at this momt, no one paid atttion to Elizabeth''s unusual behavior.


    Their brows furrowed as they looked towards the sky above the spectacle, where at the very top, a human head held an Energy Stone in its mouth. As more disciples gathered, the Energy Stone began to glow, revealing a sce to all prest.


    They saw in the vision a Boar Monarch Pete, once gtle and yful in a valley with childr who naively called him ''Old Pig Pete'' and ''Great Grandpa''. Despite their inability to understand how a Boar Monarch Pete could harmonize so well with childr, they could feel the warmth of the sce.


    But th, the sce shifted to show the Boar Monarch Pete''s grave and the childr''s mourning in that same valley.


    The vision changed again.


    Felix, an elder from the Sky Sect, along with Elizabeth from the Azure Cloud Pavilion''s Phoix Hall, were se chasing after the Boar Monarch Pete. They pursued him like a cat after a mouse, with Elizabeth reltlessly shing at the Boar Monarch Pete.


    It was a long and dehumanizing chase marked by brutality. Steph, the aged and verable leader of the Azure Cloud Pavilion, with his  hair and youthful face, stroked his beard and sighed as he watched the sce.


    Looking at the petrified Elizabeth on the g and th back at the vision, he realized everything. He understood why, upon leaving, he had forese a great disaster approaching.


    "The Pavilion Master, this..." an elder who had also witnessed the tire evt frowned and said, "It''s a humanity-destroying act. Just for a Boar Monarch Pete, building such a grand structure in our Azure Cloud Pavilion is akin to walking the path of demons."


    "Our Azure Cloud Pavilion, no matter what, is a major power with a heritage of over a hundred thousand years. Anyone who provokes us so tantly in front of our pavilion is seriously underestimating us."


    "Perhaps... we should handle this mundane matter by discussing it with the other party. I don''t want to get involved."


    "It''smon for grudges to lead to more grudges, but this family has gone too far."


    The elders spoke one after another, each with their own opinions.


    Steph remained deep in thought, ncing at Elder Felix from the Sky Sect, who was avoiding eye contact. His voice was somber, "Elder Felix, do you have an exnation for this?"


    "Pavilion Master."


    Elder Felix was also heavily burded. He had thought that after killing the pig Boar Monarch Pete, it would drive the people of ckwood mad. He had ev stayed in Forest Town with Elizabeth, waiting for ckwood''s people to attack her, after which he could escape with his partner.


    He expected that the news of Elizabeth being attacked and the bacsh from the tire Cloudview County against ckwood would follow, and he wouldn''t ev need to lift a finger!


    But unexpectedly, ckwood''s people did not react at all. In a very short time, they abandoned their ckwood residce and disappearedpletely!


    Over the past year, he had no idea what ckwood''s people were up to.


    He had set a trap, but ckwood''s people had no inttion of falling into it; instead, theypletely overturned his chessboard!


    Now, he nced at the grand structure and at the stupefied Elizabeth, ev his heart trembling. He hadn''t expected ckwood''s people to be so ruthless, nor had he expected their decisivess in such a gocidal act, something no ordinary power could do!


    He suddly realized that ev after years of sding people to gather intelligce on Marcus and ckwood, he had still vastly underestimated ckwood''s power and strgth.


    They were not just a simple developing skill family!


    "I''m asking you a question." Steph, at the mid-stage of Developing Skill, looked at the distracted Felix, his tone calm, showing no regard for Felix, who was at the peak of Developing Skill, "For these two hundred years, as an elder of the Sky Sect, you have repeatedly used Elizabeth and exploited the reputation of our Azure Cloud Pavilion for your own ds."


    With that, he sighed deeply, "It''s also my fault, considering your idtity in the Sky Sect and your special rtionship as cultivation partners, I''ve be reluctant to interve."


    "But now, you think you''re so clever, but you''ve led our Azure Cloud Pavilion elders into such a disaster."


    Upon hearing this, Elder Felix''s expression changed, "Pavilion Master, what do you mean by these words?"


    "You''ve brought this upon yourself."


    Steph exhaled deeply, "Arrest him."


    "Yes!"


    As Steph''s words fell, four or five elders of the Azure Cloud Pavilion moved instantly, and a gold bowl from the Sky Sect, a piece of primary advanced psychic equipmt, easily captured the fleeing Elder Felix.


    Elder Felix''s face changed dramatically, "Pavilion Master, I am an elder of the Sky Sect, this matter has nothing to do with me, and besides, it was Elizabeth who killed the Boar Monarch Pete, not me! Arresting me is hardly fair, is it?"


    "Don''t use the Sky Sect to pressure me, you are nothing."


    Steph shook his head and waved his hand, "Arrest Elizabeth as well, this woman has be cultivating psychic powers for over three hundred years, her heart is not pure, and today she will be locked up with Felix until I discuss matters with ckwood''s people and decide what to do next."


    "Yes!"


    The elders furrowed their brows, somewhat puzzled. Although ckwood''s strgth was formidable, capable of annihting the Lopez family overnight, it still didn''t seem worth it for the Azure Cloud Pavilion to bow down for this reason, let alone offd the Sky Sect by arresting Elizabeth and Elder Felix.


    As Steph watched the two being tak away, he shook his head and turned to walk to the cter of the Sky Sect, his right hand calcting.


    Just as he walked under William''s cage and floated up to look at William''s confused gaze, Steph heard a heart-wrching scream behind him.


    "Ah!!!"


    It was Elizabeth''s cry of despair.


    Steph shook his head, "Disaster."