Chapter 5598

Jared nodded once, strode to the hidden valley, and raised a protective array of modest talismans. Then he stepped inside Pentacarna Tower and let the mortal world fade.

Tens of thousands of item pouches bulged with resources, more wealth than most sects could dream of. For now, he was rich enough.

Time blurred. At some forgotten moment, the very last pouch cracked open, spilling its final crystal. Only then did he feel his realm shatter through its ceiling-Earthly Immortal no more, but Human Immortal Realm Level One.

That avalanche of treasure had carried him only so far. “May what little remains,” he murmured, eyes half shut, “be enough for me to pierce level two.”

High above Swordmaster City, Lyra spent each day drowning in petitions and decrees, yet she still found moments to glide to the valley mouth, peering in to see whether Jared had emerged from the tower’s black maw.

One such day began like any other ledgers, judgments, endless footsteps echoing through marble halls.

Without warning, the sky above Swordmaster City rippled. Space itself trembled, folding open into a humming corridor of void.