CHAPTER 72: CHAPTER 72: CURRENT SITUATION OF AZURE CONTINENT

A pale light shimmered above the broken statues as the final phase of the trial ended. One by one, Ashen, Divya, Mia, and Jane appeared in the ancient chamber. Their robes were torn, their eyes dim with exhaustion, but each of them carried a quiet storm in their heart.

The silence hung heavy, broken only by the crackling of unseen energy slowly fading into the walls.

Divya was the first to speak, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Did... did he say he passed?"

Ashen’s brow furrowed. "He did."

Jane looked between them, stunned. "But... how? We couldn’t even cultivate in there. That body, that world it stripped everything from us. Our Qi, our techniques, even our senses. How could anyone pass something like that?"

"I could barely move," Mia admitted, placing a hand on her chest as if still feeling the weight of helplessness. "Even simple pain was unbearable in that frail mortal shell."

Divya clenched her fists, frustration flickering in her gaze. "I tried. I tried everything. Talked to guards, tried to rally miners, and even looked for a way to sneak Amelia out. Nothing worked. I had no power."

"I tried to infiltrate the guard ranks," Ashen muttered. "Thought I could get close to David, maybe gain some influence. But without Qi, without status, I was nothing. He beat me within minutes."

Jane’s voice trembled. "I hid most of the time. I couldn’t even think clearly. Every day, I thought we’d all fail."

"But Kaal didn’t," Divya said slowly, as if tasting the words. "Somehow, he survived. He passed."

Ashen crossed his arms and leaned against a cracked pillar. "We don’t know what he did. He hasn’t told us anything. All we know is... he made it."

The realization settled like dust on an empty tomb.

None of them had seen it coming.

Not from Kaal.

"I thought this trial was impossible," Mia said. "That maybe it wasn’t meant to be passed. Maybe it was just... a cruel illusion."

Divya shook her head. "No. It was a test. And only one of us passed."

"Without Qi. Without strength," Jane said softly, her eyes distant. "What does that say about him?"

Ashen closed his eyes briefly, then opened them with a deeper calm. "It says we’ve all been underestimating him."

A silence fell between them. Not heavy. Not awkward. But thoughtful. Respectful.

Each of them had gone through the trial believing that strength alone would carry them through. But now, the truth stood before them in broken stone and silence.

Someone had passed.

And that someone was Kaal. Not through brute force or power, but through something else entirely.

Divya let out a long breath. "Whatever he did... it wasn’t luck."

"No," Ashen agreed.

Mia gave a small, tired smile. "I wonder what he did that he even passed when Opening Realm Cultivator in his way."

Jane looked at the statue in the center, cracked but still standing taller than the rest. "We might never know."

Ashen stepped forward, the soft echo of his footfall reverberating in the quiet hall. "But I want to."

They all looked toward the center of the temple now, where Kaal had stood alone.

Ignoring all of them and thinking about all the things that the founder has told him.

The soft hum of ancient Qi still clung to the broken air of the Seven-Statue Temple.

Divya turned her head sharply as a ripple spread through the center of the shattered floor. Threads of silver light coiled together, spinning into a circular gate, a portal, humming with residual power from the Founder’s inheritance.

"A portal?" Mia breathed.

Ashen narrowed his eyes. "It seems the trial is releasing us."

"No fanfare. No rewards. Just a door," Jane muttered, her voice low.

Kaal said nothing at first. He stood behind them, quiet, his gaze fixed on the dissolving runes beneath their feet.

Ashen glanced at him. "Kaal, are you coming?"

He finally nodded, stepping forward. "Yeah. Let’s get out of here."

The five of them entered the portal together, their silhouettes swallowed by light.

The transition was seamless, like waking from one dream and tumbling into another.

They landed in a dense forest. Birds scattered. Leaves rustled as sunlight broke through the canopy. The scent of dew, bark, and fresh earth filled their lungs.

Kaal looked around, his feet crunching over moss. "Looks like we’re back in the real world."

Divya turned her face to the sky. "The Qi here feels normal. No restrictions."

Ashen scanned the terrain. "We’re not far from civilization. These trees aren’t wild enough to be deep wilderness."

Mia pointed ahead. "There’s a trail."

Kaal didn’t move. He was staring at his palm, where he had once felt the burning imprint of the Founder’s power.

"I still can’t believe it..." Divya broke the silence. "Kaal... you passed the trial. In a mortal body."

Jane folded her arms. "That shouldn’t even be possible."

Ashen gave him a long look. "How did you do it?"

Kaal met their eyes but said nothing. His expression was unreadable, caught between fatigue and steel resolve.

"I survived," he said simply. "That’s all that matters."

Divya opened her mouth to press further, but stopped. There was something different in him now. Something colder. Something unshakable.

So they let it go.

For now.

They walked for hours.

The forest stretched on in every direction, but the path was clear. Occasionally, they crossed ruined way stones etched with faded sect symbols. Mia noted them with quiet murmurs. Jane sketched them into her notebook.

By nightfall, they rested near a small creek. Ashen built a fire. Divya roasted wild berries over a flame. The mood was quiet but not tense, just... tired.

Kaal sat slightly apart, staring at the water’s reflection.

By the next morning, mist still clung to the branches, but the trees began to thin. When they crested a ridge, a gasp slipped from Mia’s lips.

"There!"

Stone walls rose from the earth like a forgotten fortress. Banners whipped in the wind, a silver spear crackling with lightning embroidered across navy blue. Five of them know this banner and these cities.

Ashen’s eyes narrowed. "Ris City."

"Part of the Greve Kingdom," Jane added. "Under Thunder Spear Sect control."

This city is the capital of Greve Kindow, famous for its Trade.

Kaal stared at the distant city. He never imagined that the trial portal would eject them; so close to the sect that had destroyed the Kilvish Clan.

And now... they were here.

"Let’s move," he said.

By dusk, they entered the city.

It wasn’t bustling with high Qi cultivators or regal nobles. Ris was a border city, military-focused, rough around the edges. The kind of place where tired soldiers drank hard, merchants spoke in whispers, and no one asked questions unless paid to.

The group found a tavern near the outer district.

The tavern was warm, a welcome change from the biting winds outside. Lanterns swayed gently above, casting a golden glow across scarred wooden tables and weary travelers. The scent of roasted meat and spiced stew filled the air, mixing with the low murmur of conversation and clinking cups.

Kaal sat at the corner booth beside Divya and Ashen, while Jane and Mia took the opposite bench. Their cloaks were damp from the mist, and their eyes, though weary, burned with unspoken thoughts.

A platter of grilled boar and flatbread arrived. No one touched it at first. They have listed the talk of the people from the traven. Soon, five of them gathered information about the current situation of the Azure continent. After hearing and collecting all the information they needed.

Ashen leaned back, eyes sharp as ever. "So, two years. We were inside the Founder’s Trial for two whole years."

Mia stirred her soup quietly. "Time flowed differently there. Only a few weeks passed for us."

Divya’s eyes flicked toward Kaal. "And in that time, the world turned upside down."

Kaal didn’t respond. His fingers traced the edge of his cup.

Jane cleared her throat, her voice low but firm. "The Kilvish Clan... It’s gone."

Kaal didn’t flinch.

Ashen glanced at him before continuing. "They say it happened over a year ago. A combined assault by four major powers: The Storm Clan, Jeral Clan, Thunder Spear Sect, and Spirit Beast Hall."

"Dozens of Opening Realm elders. Blessing Realm monsters. Even Divine Realm cultivators," Jane added.

Divya looked down. "They tried to erase every Kilvish clan survivor, Kaal." After pausing for a moment, she continued, "But most of the Kilvish clan members escaped in the Nirvana tower, and their whereabouts are unknown, but they were at least safe, and Nirvana treasure spirit hid them in a separate hidden world only he knew about, worthy of his status of a divine treasure.

Kaal finally spoke, voice steady. "And my father?"

Ashen’s eyes darkened. "He didn’t run. Charles Kilvish made a final stand. Killed over a dozen Opening Realm cultivators. Two Sea Realm cultivators and..."

Jane nodded. "He killed Heavenly Dragon Adaeze of the Storm Clan."

Kaal went still. The cup in his hand trembled faintly, its contents rippling.

"Adaeze," he whispered. "One of the Ten Heavenly Dragons."

Divya added softly, "He burned his life to do it. Used an Ancient advanced formation, the Eclipse Veil Formation, and Void Lock Domain. With two formations, he took most of the enemies down with him. Only a few of them survive."

Kaal closed his eyes, breathing deeply.

A long silence followed. Then Mia spoke.

"There’s more."

Everyone looked at her.

"Lady Bella Darwin... your mother."

Kaal’s eyes shot open.

"She," Mia continued. "She appeared three weeks ago. Near the outer borders of the Spirit Beast Hall’s domain. A squad of cultivators was dispatched to capture a rogue spirit beast. She... killed them all."

Ashen’s voice was almost reverent. "An Outer Elder at the Opening Realm. Four inner disciples in the Blessing Realm. And over a dozen Foundation disciples. All frozen. Shattered."

Divya’s voice dropped to a whisper. "They say she left a message."

Mia nodded. "’You took my husband. You lost my son. I will wash your sins with the blood of your disciples."

Kaal stared at the flame in the center of the table, his face unreadable.

The silence that followed was heavier than steel.

"My mother..." he said finally, voice low. "She’s still fighting."

There was pride in his words. But pain, too.

"She was always too strong," he said. "And too kind. She loved quietly. She suffered in silence. She "

He stopped for a moment, but with a low voice, continued

"Did not even know that I am alive."

Divya reached out, placing a hand over his. "She doesn’t know if you’re alive or dead... but she’s tearing the Spirit Beast Hall apart in revenge."