CHAPTER 275: CHAPTER 275 SCHOLAR

"Isn’t that too soon, Senior?" she asked respectfully, lowering her gaze.

"Shouldn’t we give the Forge Clan prior notice before we arrive at their gates? I worry that... without warning, things could escalate. Especially since the incident began with Ruby leaving on her own accord."

Her words were carefully chosen—humble, non-accusatory, and with a touch of sincerity.

Riley leaned back in his chair, his eyes unreadable.

"A fair point," he said after a moment.

"Send a message then. Let them know I’ll be visiting at dawn. That should give them enough time to prepare. I don’t intend to make war—I only wish to resolve what should have never become an issue in the first place."

He turned his attention back to the food in front of him, plucking a glowing violet plum from a jade tray and biting into it as if the matter was already decided.

Evangeline nodded solemnly. "As you command, Senior."

With a mere glance and a flick of her fingers, one of her personal shadowrunners emerged from the edge of the hall.

Clad in black robes and barefoot for silence, the figure bowed low before receiving the urgent order and vanished in a gust of wind.

The letter he carried was brief but potent: A being from the Abode of the Ancient One is coming to your gates. Prepare yourselves accordingly.

As the feast continued, Evangeline stole another look at Riley.

The warm golden lights of the hall played across his calm expression as he laughed lightly at something one of his wives had whispered to him.

He seemed relaxed—almost too relaxed.

And yet, beneath that casual demeanor, she sensed an abyss.

A bottomless, unknowable void.

This man... if this is only a clone... then what sort of being is his true self? she wondered again.

This unbelievable thought never left her mind at all.

Her spine prickled at the possibility, and her reverence for him deepened even further.

She resolved then and there: the Raven Clan would never oppose this man. Not now.

Not ever.

Even if it meant bowing lower than pride would normally allow.

Even if it meant offending the Forge Clan.

Between those two options, there really was no choice at all.

Riley allowed himself to enjoy the feast—but only for a brief time.

Though music filled the grand courtyard and celestial dishes from the nine heavens were paraded before him like offerings to a god, his heart wasn’t in it.

He smiled when needed, spoke only when spoken to, and kept his gaze mostly distant, watching the sky rather than the crowd.

Even the finest immortal wine could not wash away the pressing thoughts in his mind.

To the others, it may have seemed like a casual visit by an aloof immortal from an ancient legend, but for Riley, this was a critical juncture.

A pivotal moment where one careless decision could determine whether he thrived in this new realm—or face major problems under the heel of its true rulers.

At precisely three o’clock in the morning, Riley finally rose from his seat.

The Raven Clan’s elders hurriedly stood as well, bowing deeply.

The music stopped mid-note.

A hush fell over the banquet as all eyes followed him, reluctant to let such a revered guest leave so soon.

"I thank you all for the feast," he said with a slight nod. "But I think that this is more than enough for one night."

None dared to question him.

He was guided by two honored attendants toward his quarters—an expansive private chamber once reserved for the clan’s founding ancestor.

The doors, inscribed with ancient runes, parted with a soft pulse of light.

The air inside was thick with spiritual essence, drawn from ley lines buried deep beneath the mountain.

The room was more of a palace than a chamber—carved from celestial jade, wreathed in soft blue formation lights, and perfumed by the rarest incense of starlotus and moon flame.

Celestial beast furs lined the floors, and floating orbs of light provided soft illumination, casting dancing shadows along the high, arched ceiling.

But Riley barely glanced at the luxury.

He stepped into the room, let the doors close behind him, and sighed.

"This is the most lavish place I’ve seen in this realm," he muttered. "But luxury means nothing if I cannot protect those I care about."

He walked to the center of the room, removed his outer robe, and folded it neatly on a nearby jade bench.

His eyes, sharp and calculating, narrowed.

"Even now, I’m being watched. There are sensing formations around the perimeter. Discreet, but not subtle enough for me to miss."

He wasn’t angry. In Evangeline’s position, he might have done the same.

After all, a being claiming to come from the fabled Abode of the Ancient One had just walked into her domain without warning.

But Riley was cautious—perhaps more than most.

He needed privacy.

Without hesitation, he activated the soul sanctuary hidden within his body.

In an instant, his physical form dissolved into particles of light and vanished, absorbed into the boundless void the system had given him—a dimension beyond reach, beyond time.

The void sanctuary. He also took his wives and friends inside again just to be safe.

There, within the sanctuary, he descended further into the deeper layers of this infinite space—into a hidden realm only he knew about.

The world he created was a barren, lifeless desert, stretching infinitely in all directions.

The sun above was black and cold, casting no heat, only light.

The air was dense with primordial essence, heavy and unmoving.

Each grain of sand shimmered faintly, filled with dormant energy.

Riley appeared in the center of this desert like a falling star, landing gently on the soft golden dunes.

He took a deep breath. The world trembled in response.

"Perfect," he whispered, surveying the quiet void he had shaped with his will.

"This place will do just fine."

With a wave of his hand, time slowed—slower even than the outer world.

One hour here could stretch to years elsewhere.

He sat in a lotus position atop the highest dune.

Massive streams of soul energy surged around him, pulling from the void, converging into his dantian and his sea of consciousness.

His body began to glow with a subtle golden sheen, his skin etched with faint marks of an unknown ancient language.

But tonight, he would not stop at mere immortal ascension realm.

Riley had a goal.

A terrifying one.

"I’ve relied on trickery, borrowed strength, and myriad techniques of the system," he said, his voice echoing through the empty desert.

"It’s time I became my own guarantee. If I am to remain in this world, I need power that no one can strip from me."

He focused inward and time slowed to a halt.

Riley closed his eyes and allowed the vast ocean of power within him to stir.

The quiet desert world he had created within the void sanctuary—a world of lifeless dunes and still air—began to tremble at the edges.

The wind shifted. The skies above darkened unnaturally.

Then—

BOOOOM!

A thunderous blast split the skies as Riley’s body trembled, his aura igniting like a sun being born.

The entire dimension shook under the pressure.

2nd Stage of the Immortal Ascension Realm.

The sand rippled outward from him in rings, every grain pulsing with his rhythm.

He sat unmoving in the lotus position, but his body glowed from within, tendrils of spiritual flame dancing across his skin.

His mind remained calm, but the storm of energy inside him surged higher.

Bang!

3rd Stage.

His breathing deepened.

4th Stage.

A shockwave blasted out of his body, turning nearby dunes into glass.

Then, without a pause—

9th stage.

BOOM!

1st Stage of the Supreme Deity Realm.

A storm of lightning erupted from the heavens of his artificial world.

A ring of divine light crowned his head, spinning with the symbols of countless ancient laws, each representing domains of reality he was beginning to master—space, time, destruction, life, illusion, creation.

2nd... 3rd... 4th Stage. 9th stage!

Each step faster than the last.

He didn’t just cross bottlenecks—he shattered them.

His soul roared like a dragon breaking through the heavens, and the world responded.

The spiritual essence was no longer being pulled in.

It rushed to him like rivers to the sea.

The fabric of the realm could no longer contain the force building inside him.

The sky cracked apart, revealing a whirlpool of celestial chaos above.

BOOOOOM!!!

1st Stage of the Ancient God Realm.

He gritted his teeth as divine thunder exploded around him. His soul had now become semi-divine,

his mind expanding with knowledge he hadn’t even sought.

Concepts once obscure to him—laws of fate, karma, destiny, and even reincarnation—became clear.

2nd... 3rd... 4th Stage...

.

..

...

9th stage!

At this point, the atmosphere in his soul sanctuary had completely changed.

It no longer resembled a desert.

The sands floated in mid-air, twisted into bizarre geometries as the laws of physics collapsed around him.

It was simply terrifying to behold!