Mark's AI, Ark, pinged him in real-time.

*Ding! [WARNING] Life force concentration spiking. Object classification: GOD-GRADE. Exact function unknown. Suggest caution. Scanning… incomplete.

Mark's pupils narrowed. Apart from the divine throne he had, which was back at home in the form of a floating island that holds his factories, Mark had never seen a god grade item before. Even that divine throne is a damaged one. But at the very least, he could understand that it is a heaven-defying item.

Meanwhile, the artifact in Demon Cat Empress' hands pulsed—once, twice—and then cracked open like a blooming flower of black crystal.

From it emerged six masses of glowing light, each dense and ancient.

The first condensed into the white-maned form of the White Lion King.

The second coalesced into the lithe silhouette of Tigon Queen.

Four more followed.

Each figure floated behind the Empress, golden chains of divine authority linking them back to the pyramid. All of them knelt mid-air.

"We greet the Majesty."

Back on the ground, Mark narrowed his eyes. He doesn't recognize the other four, but two of them died in his hands. "Does it bring back the dead to life?" He couldn't help but wonder.

Meanwhile, in the sky.

"Capture the primate," the Empress said coldly. "And retrieve my son. Unharmed."

On the battlefield, a bit far away from Mark, Panthera Leo King, still injured but eager to prove himself, straightened.

"Your Majesty, I am still alive. I will assist—"

Before he gets to finish, Mark's eyes glinted.

"Explode."

BOOM!

The lightning clone detonated instantly, 100% condensed ether energy, specialized to detonate from within.

The explosion wasn't one of fire or destruction. It was a collapse of lightning-born matter that tore through Panthera Leo King's core.

Every bit of his cell was deeply fried before he could even move. His core was destroyed within, and the general died before his body could fall.

The Empress didn't blink, though. But there was a subtle frown on her face.

Mark looked directly at her, face stone-cold. "So what if you revived six old ghosts?"

"The moment I stepped into the immortal realm, your death was decided."

He lowered his arm slowly.

"The only reason you're still alive is because of my ambition to earn star dust and make the Sky Pavilion Sect my ally in this plane, not because you are some undefeatable monster."

There was a momentary silence before the Empress smiled again, except that this smile just brought a chill down the spine of Snow Wolf King and Anan, the spectators.

Her voice was no longer sweet as she ordered. "Go. I want both of them to be captured."

The sky rippled with heat.

The six resurrected generals of the Feline Empire surged forward without hesitation, streaking across the night like burning comets.

Four of them — White Lion King, and three others — targeted Mark together.

The remaining two generals — the Tigon Queen, reborn once again, and the massive Tri-Horned Tigress Queen, an ancient powerhouse — streaked downward toward the Snow Wolf King, intending not to kill… but to capture.

Mark watched them from the air, standing with one arm lowered, his breaths deep, his heart hammering. His ether reserves were already battered due to continuous usage of skills, at only 55% at the moment. But that didn't stop the pulse forming in his palm.

A deep void shimmered into being — a black dot of infinite suction

"Activate, Singularity."

He used the skill once again without any hesitation.

The moment the gravitational force twisted out from his hand, the very fabric of space buckled.

The four charging generals found their bodies twisted in mid-air as the black singularity pulled them in like helpless leaves. They tried to resist, but it turned out to be useless.

All four generals vanished into the void in less than three seconds, dying again — screaming, clawing, dissolving.

Far away, the Tigon Queen and Tri-Horned Tigress Queen halted mid-flight, horror spreading across their expressions.

Mark's palm closed.

Pop.

The singularity collapsed. The four generals could barely enjoy their second life for a few moments.

The battlefield froze again.

Above them, the Demon Cat Empress's eyes widened. The golden slits dilated into full circles as her fur stood on end for the first time in thousands of years.

She stared at Mark like one might stare at something that shouldn't exist.

Mark's arm trembled slightly, and his legs staggered mid-air. But he looked up at her and smirked. "Do you have anything else?" "Or are you finally coming down yourself?"

For a moment, the Empress said nothing. She simply watched.

Then…

"You look proud, for someone with empty reserves."

Her eyes narrowed at that.

"Your energy is spent. That last move nearly tore your body apart. And you think you still have time?"

She vanished from her spot in the sky.

A golden blur, faster than sound, faster than thought, struck down like a divine execution.

Her claws gleamed with demonic energy this time as she reached Mark in an instant, swinging toward his neck.

But…

Clang!

She halted mid-swing.

A thin invisible barrier surrounded Mark like a shell. The air shimmered where her claws stopped just short.

She blinked, eyes twitching. "What?"

Mark raised a brow and chuckled softly. "Sorry. No physical contact allowed under No Touch skill toggled on."

The Empress snarled, her tail lashing behind her with fury.

"Fine."

Her paw opened.

A sphere of condensed demonic essence formed instantly — dark, volatile, and pulsing with feline blood laws.

She hurled it point-blank.

BOOM!

Mark's world exploded.

The blast flung him across the mountain range like a meteor. He tore through the cliffside, rock and earth flying everywhere. He struck stone with enough force to crack the ground for miles and disappeared into a rising cloud of dust.

For a long moment, silence.

Then from within the haze…

Glow.

The core inside Mark's body flared, pulsing golden and silver lines across his veins.

[Ark]: Mandatory regeneration initiated.

Slowly, Mark stirred.

His body reknit. Muscles closed. Bones mended. Vision cleared while his recovered ether reserves emptied to zero once again

He exhaled, coughing up dust, and then forced himself to his feet, blood still trailing down his lip.

He looked up.

But by then, the Empress was already beside Anan.

She held his wrist firmly. Her tail swished with irritation. "Brat. What are you sitting here for? Return home."

Anan hesitated.

His golden eyes flicked to the cliff, toward the slowly rising figure of Mark.

He didn't say anything.

The Empress glanced at him, displeased. With a sigh, she placed one paw softly on his forehead.

"Sleep."

A brief pulse of divine energy surged into Anan's mind this time.

His eyes fluttered. "Ma…ste…"

And then he collapsed.

The Empress caught him with one arm, lifting him effortlessly.

She turned her gaze back toward Mark, who stood now amidst rubble and flame.

She held Anan in her arms like a prince, her gaze cold as moonlight. "You hatched him. You raised him. But in the end, I am his blood. No matter what you say, you dared to lay your hands on my blood. I will not kill you. I will imprison you for eternity in my citadel."

Mark clenched his fists, his gaze was on the Demon Cat Empress. "Damn it. I would still need half a minute more now to recover... Hmm... wait a second..." Something clicked in his mind.