"Heh… this is actually quite amusing…"
Senju Yukika couldn't help but chuckle. A group of low-tier cultivators had actually set up an elaborate trap across the desolate plains, like a heavenly net laid over the earth.
They were trying to capture him and force him to hand over his treasures? These little brats were clearly overestimating themselves!
Yukika first returned to where Sho Amano and Kota Tanaka were waiting, and then led the two of them toward the barren land ahead.
On the way, Yukika handed a nameless cultivation manual to Amano. It was Amano who had told him about the technique's origin in the first place—otherwise, Yukika would never have known it existed.
Now that Yukika had discovered that this mysterious manual was filled with profound and cryptic energy, he still believed that in terms of karmic cause and effect, Amano was the one it truly belonged to.
No matter how valuable something was, Yukika would always return it if it wasn't his to keep.
That was a fundamental part of his code of conduct, and also a key principle in the deeper laws of karma.
If Yukika were to dominate this path of cultivation all by himself, he would eventually be burdened by karmic debt to Amano.
And when the day came that he surpassed the realm of the gods and reached even greater heights, this unresolved karma might cause the heavens themselves to reject him!
Cause and effect governed everything in this world, and Yukika had always tread carefully...
Amano was visibly thrilled upon receiving the nameless technique.
The entire reason he had left his sanctuary at Sword Palace and come to Stone City was to find this manual. When he learned of its location by chance, he had felt conflicted.
Now, after so many hardships, the legendary technique had finally returned to his hands. The emotions flooding his heart were impossible to describe.
But strangely, even after obtaining the technique, Amano didn't want to leave. Instead, he insisted on staying by Yukika's side.
The moment Amano voiced his thoughts, Yukika instantly understood what he meant.
Even though the nameless technique was powerful and could significantly boost one's cultivation, how could Amano just walk away when Yukika—a living treasure trove—stood before him like a divine statue?
In Amano's eyes, a few simple pointers from Yukika would benefit him for a lifetime.
But Yukika knew the road ahead was perilous and full of obstacles. While such things posed no threat to him, they might be too much for Amano and Kota to bear.
At that moment, the first group to sense Yukika's arrival in the wastelands was a mid-tier sect from the Kingdom of Rakshasa.
The sect leader himself was of an elite rank, yet after spotting Yukika and his companions, he didn't act recklessly. Instead, he immediately sent messengers to alert powerful allies in nearby areas.
Within moments, more than a dozen figures descended from all directions, most of them at the super-elite level.
If one observed carefully, two among them exuded an aura that surpassed even that—transcending super-elite levels. They stood out like cranes among chickens, making the others instinctively lower their heads in deference.
These two were no ordinary powerhouses—they were Legendary First-Class Masters, beings so rare that even among a hundred super sects, one might not produce a single such figure.
This alone showed just how rare and formidable the elite cultivators of the Rakshasa Kingdom were!
Yet despite their overwhelming presence, a strange tension lingered in the air.
Because as the mysterious figure atop the mountain slowly descended, the group received more intelligence—learning that this young man had obtained something known as the Divine Eye.
And from numerous scattered clues, they deduced just how terrifying his strength really was.
He had singlehandedly defeated infamous veteran powerhouses like the Blood Demon King and the Lord of Thousand Lakes Island. He even killed the sect leader of the Radiant Light Sect with a single move...
While these figures weren't top-tier in the grand scheme, the ease with which Yukika eliminated them spoke volumes about his sheer power.
Even the two supreme experts now gathered didn't feel entirely confident facing him.
Soon, they saw Yukika approaching head-on with Amano and Kota. In the distance, dozens of cultivators lay hidden in ambush.
The two legendary masters had fully concealed their presence in the void.
They had used the Laws of the Heavenly Dao to suppress their chakra and hide within the folds of space itself—an invisibility technique reserved for those of their realm.
And yet, Yukika walked forward casually.
His spiritual pressure already enveloped hundreds of miles around him. He was well aware of the dozens lying in wait, including the two apex-level cultivators.
Nothing could escape his senses.
But he didn't even spare them a glance. He simply continued forward with his hands clasped behind his back—completely unfazed.
Perhaps in Yukika's eyes, these so-called "powerhouses" were nothing more than ants. No matter how well they hid, he wouldn't even bother to dodge their ambush.
Suddenly, from a pile of rocks nearby, multiple figures shot into the sky!
They didn't say a word and immediately launched their attacks—chakra blasts fired toward Yukika and his two companions before retreating swiftly.
Amano and Kota were stunned. Though these attacks seemed basic and crude in Yukika's eyes, to them, they were overwhelming—utterly lethal!
Any one of these attackers could have easily taken their lives.
And yet, when the waves of chakra descended upon them, the two boys were shocked to find a transparent barrier had formed above their heads.
Those terrifying attacks that looked capable of tearing the earth apart simply stopped at the shield, unable to break through it no matter what.
It was as though the entire onslaught had been absorbed effortlessly.
In the next instant, dozens of cultivators floated mid-air, all eyes coldly fixed on Yukika. Not a single one spoke.
They had just witnessed their proudest offensive techniques fail completely—nullified by some invisible, mysterious force.
Yukika had not moved a muscle.
He stood tall and motionless, hands still behind his back, not even acknowledging the attacks.
What kind of sorcery was this? They had never seen anything like it!
Just then, the two legendary masters slowly emerged from the void.
One of them shouted coldly, "Hand over the Divine Eye, and we'll spare your life!"
The other followed up, "Young man, no matter how strong you are, or what force stands behind you, the Divine Eye is not something you're qualified to possess. Be wise and give it up!"
Yukika glanced at them calmly, his voice soft but resolute.
"And what if I refuse?"
His words barely fell when the gathered cultivators burst into mocking laughter.
They scoffed at his audacity—how clueless could one be? To remain defiant even in the face of death?
Then, with a shout from one of the legendary masters, all the super-elite cultivators rushed forward, flying straight toward Yukika!
But in the next instant, Yukika casually waved his hand.
He didn't summon any power from the Realm of the Reapers, nor did he draw upon any special elemental forces.
Only his own chakra surged—and the skies began to shift.