Slifer’s head popped out of the portal, he held back a sigh of relief, he had managed to arrive at the correct location, levelling the Dimensional Slide technique seemed like a good investment after all.

But before the rest of his body could exit the portal, a booming voice caught him off guard, the force of the shout nearly knocking him off balance.

"Slifer!"

Turning his gaze, Slifer saw a middle-aged man, his robes struggling in vain to hide a muscular physique reminiscent of a character from a video game.

Eh, why is this Tekken-like character shouting at me? Slifer couldn't help but wonder.

Slifer recognized him from the original's memories. The man was Grand Elder Darius, an Origin Realm expert, well, now apparently an Ascendant Realm cultivator, he was supposedly the most formidable cultivator in the Black Rose Sect after the Sect Master.

A heavy pressure descended upon him, and Slifer fought to keep his body from tensing up under the gaze of his disciples and the Grand Elders. It would be more than a little strange for the supposed ‘Supreme Elder’ to soil himself in front of an equal, or to even soil himself in general.

I’m certain Nascent Soul cultivators and above don’t have these kinds of...bodily functions, well I guess wetting myself would be an ‘interesting’ way to expose myself.

"Haha, now that Master is here, he'll teach you a lesson."

Slifer didn't need to turn around to know who that voice belonged to. This girl... he thought, frustrated.

He had repeatedly warned Amelia about provoking stronger cultivators but clearly it was useless, he would need to hurry up and increase his cultivation, so he doesn’t need to worry about what problem she was going to create for him next.

With these disciples, in this world, a pie is the least of my concerns.

Forcing a cough to mask his discomfort, Slifer addressed the enraged elder, who was kind enough to wait for him to finish his internal monologue.

"Junior Darius, what did my disciple do this time," Slifer asked as his mind wandered to the potential punishments that would make the troublesome girl finally listen to him.

It has to be something embarrassing, so she knows I’m serious but… at the same time not too embarrassing where she adds me to her hit-list. Slifer knew that cultivators had the tendency to jump to slaughtering a whole generation for the tiniest slight, as for Amelia…he knew she would go the whole nine generations.

The Grand Elder’s face flushed with anger at Slifer's audacity to address him as 'junior.' Despite his middle-aged appearance, he was a millennium older than the so-called Supreme Elder standing before him.

Darius' mind reeled with thoughts of his contributions and sacrifices for the sect. He had been a key figure in fighting back the demons during the demonic invasion, unlike many others who felt that as demonic cultivators their loyalty should be towards the Nether Realm.

The Sect Master had hinted many times in the past at Grand Elder Darius being the next in line to lead the sect, but Slifer's sudden rise in cultivation rank posed a threat to his aspirations. While he would never openly admit it, Darius did in fact feel threatened by the recent rapid advancement of the Sect Master’s lapdog.

Taking a deliberate step forward, Darius intensified the pressure bearing down on Slifer. "Now that we're both Ascendant cultivators, I'm not your junior," he declared as he began to channel qi into his right arm.

Both he and Grand Elder Wyatt had harboured doubts about Slifer's claim to the Ascendant Realm. How could someone they had watched fail the Origin Realm tribulation suddenly emerge as an Ascendant? It had to be a trick, a treasure, something other than genuine cultivation.

Sensing Darius' intention to attack, Slifer’s eyes widened in alarm.

Darius’ right arm transformed into a stony appendage with jagged edges and in a blur, he closed the distance between them, his fist aimed squarely at Slifer's head.

In the background, Slifer could hear Amelia's enthusiastic cheers, but his focus was entirely on the incoming attack, an attack that was too fast for him to even see, let alone defend against. Before he could blink, Darius’ fist collided with his head.

Ding! Critical Block Card Activated

An invisible barrier sprang up around Slifer, effortlessly blocking the attack and sending a shockwave that repelled Darius several feet backward. The force of their clash sent cracks spider-webbing across the pavilion's floor.

What technique was that? Darius looked down at his fist in disbelief. It wasn't a wind technique; he hadn't felt any wind aura. A barrier technique, perhaps? But his knowledge of formations was limited, that was more in Grand Elder Wyatt's domain.

Grand Elder Wyatt was astonished, a space-time and barrier technique combined? Such a feat was beyond even his considerable expertise in formations, it required an intricate understanding of essences. Essences were rumoured to be the domain of the Immortals, and even then, space and time were known to be of the most difficult to comprehend.

Could the Supreme Elder have entered the Immortal Realm?

Wyatt's original plan had been to carefully prod Slifer into revealing his cultivation level, to confirm whether he truly belonged to the Ascendant Realm or was relying on an artifact. But Darius, unable to be patient even for a few moments, had ruined that plan.

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Darius has dug his own grave; he can get himself out of it. He shook his head, deciding to distance himself from the impulsive fool.

At that moment, Grand Elder Tenzin, sensing that things were getting out of hand, quickly flew into the air, ushering Caelum and the other disciples to follow him. "Come, Darius isn’t known for… restraint.”

Once they were out of the way, the pavilion was left with only Grand Elder Darius and Slifer who were locked in a silent standoff.

If not for those nightmarish days in the Void realm, I might have been at this madman's mercy, Slifer thought, a wry smile tugging at his lips. It was clear to him now that Darius had been itching for an opportunity to challenge him.

Slifer’s eyes narrowed as he noticed a red glow emanating from the Grand Elder’s chest, it was in the shape of a crystal. An Ascendant Crystal... he thought, recognizing the symbol of a cultivator's breakthrough to the Ascendant Realm.

The glow from the crystal caused the air to shift as a realm of stone expanded from the core, it engulfed the pagoda. Slifer, being close to the centre, felt the weight of the pressure paralyse him, his body feeling heavier with each passing second.

From his vantage point in the sky, Grand Elder Wyatt released a resigned sigh. His spiritual sense was unable to penetrate the solid Domain that now enveloped the pagoda. Without breaking through to the Ascendant Realm, I'm as blind as an Ozarion Beast here. All he could do was hope that Darius didn’t make a fool of himself.

Meanwhile, the man in question let out a triumphant laugh as he taunted Slifer. "If you don't reveal your Domain, you might as well be dead," Darius jeered, watching as Slifer's form began to crystallize.

"Do you even possess a Domain?"

Slifer remained silent, focusing inwardly. His body was slowly turning to stone under the effect of the Domain, but he knew he had only one shot at turning the tables. Come on... just a little longer, he urged himself, waiting for the right moment.

Misinterpreting Slifer's silence as an admission of defeat, Darius sneered. "So, you're just a fraud after all."

He raised his hand, and a hundred rock spikes began to rise, their sharp points gleamed menacingly as they made eye contact with Slifer. With a flick of his wrist, Darius sent them hurtling towards Slifer, intending to end the charade once and for all.

The rock spikes cut through the air as Slifer braced for impact, his mind racing. This has to work... it's now or never.

Activate Reflection Card.

Ding! Reflection Card Activated

The rock spikes, which were mere inches from impaling him, halted abruptly in their tracks before reversing direction, now hurtling towards Grand Elder Darius.

As Slifer's body reverted from its stony state, Darius gazed in horror at his own foot, which was rapidly turning to stone. Panicked, he channeled his qi throughout his body, struggling against the petrification. His attention, however, was violently drawn upwards as he saw the hundred rock spikes he had summoned now barreling towards him.

"H-how..." he gasped, moments before the spikes impaled him. Blood splattered as he fell to his knees, the spikes protruding grotesquely from his body. His Domain dissipated, retracting back into him as he coughed up blood.

From everyone’s perspective, it only took a few moments for Slifer to force an Ascendant cultivator to his knees.

Wyatt had anticipated an evenly matched duel, not this one-sided display of dominance. The Supreme Elder must be on the cusp of the Immortal Realm... if not already within it, he thought, recalibrating his understanding of Slifer's true power.

Amelia's taunting laughter rang out, her voice filled with smug satisfaction. "You should have listened to me, old man," she called out gleefully.

The crowd of disciples and onlookers began murmuring among themselves, their voices a mix of awe and speculation about the Supreme Elder's strength.

"How is he that powerful?"

"What was that technique?"

"The Supreme Elder... could probably beat the Sect Master..."

Slifer, meanwhile, ignored the comments as he approached the figure kneeling before him, only pausing when a System notification appeared before him.

Ding! Kill for 1000 Karmic Credits or Spare for 2000 Karmic Credits

Slifer weighed out the options and despite being attacked out of the blue, he was not inclined to kill the man. Who knew what life-saving treasures the Grand Elder possessed, Slifer only had a single Critical Block Card left in his arsenal, the risk was not worth it.

It's probably Amelia's fault anyways... or something to do with the Original Slifer, he reasoned.

Choosing to spare Darius, he thought, Maybe one day, I'll turn him into a righteous cultivator. It might seem far-fetched, but I just can't write him off.

From the corner of his eye, he noticed a weak purple hue emanating from Darius’ hand, wait, what is that?

His thoughts were interrupted by a searing pain that tore through his head; his vision blurred as he clutched his temple in agony.

I…can’t…think…