Melorin looked up. The moment she saw Drake, she threw her arms around his waist and burrowed into his embrace, her voice trembling with panic and fear.

"Something’s happened! In the Underground Dark Prison... All the Evil Beasts are gone, and the guards are all unconscious! Quick, tell Father what happened! Get him to come back..."

At her words, Drake’s expression changed drastically.

He gently patted Melorin’s back and said, "You go upstairs. I’ll go down and take a look."

"No! Whoever got into the Underground Dark Prison without anyone noticing is clearly no ordinary person. You can’t go down there, it’s too dangerous! Listen to me—tell Father and the Elders. Let them solve this..."

Melorin hugged Drake’s waist tighter, refusing to let him go.

’To her, he was different.’

They had been childhood sweethearts. He’d followed her as a personal bodyguard since they were young, protecting her. Of all her Contractors, he had been by her side the longest and was the one she liked most.

Even though she was ruthless and her wickedness knew no bounds, she couldn’t bear to see him suffer even the slightest harm.

Drake sounded resigned. "If I don’t go assess the situation," he said, "I’m afraid the Master and the Elders will fly into a rage."

"So what if they do? What’s done is done. You going down to check won’t change anything. If they want to be angry, let them. That’s still better than you running into danger. No matter what you say, I forbid you from going down there."

Unable to dissuade her, Drake had no choice but to drop the idea.

As a result, it wasn’t until the next day that Melorin discovered the full extent of her family’s losses. It wasn’t just the Beast Fighting Arena—the auction house, the treasury, and all the savings they had accumulated over the years had also vanished without a trace.

The entire Mei Family had suffered a devastating blow. Their losses were so catastrophic that they would likely never recover.

The head of the Mei Family and the Elders, who had rushed back in a hurry, were so utterly enraged upon learning all this that they nearly died of fury. But that is a story for another time.

*

「Central City, Fifth Star Zone.」

After an Instant Teleportation back to the familiar villa, the Domain surrounding them vanished.

The unconscious Silver Fox lay on the floor. Jiang Yunnuan turned to Yan Chen, rising onto her tiptoes to press a hand to his forehead. Her face was etched with concern as she spoke.

"What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?"

’His complexion had been awful ever since they left the Beast Fighting Arena. His usually aloof eyes were tinged with a hint of urgency.’

Yan Chen seized her hand, his voice unusually urgent.

"I’m about to advance to the next Realm. It might take a few days, or it could be longer..."

After absorbing the entire Spirit Vein, the Energy within him had begun to surge uncontrollably. He’d almost been forced to advance right then and there. It was only the thought of her being unsafe in a dangerous, foreign land that had allowed him to hold on long enough to bring her back first.

Now, he had reached his limit. His body felt like it was about to explode; he couldn’t hold on any longer.

"Oh, so you’re advancing. That’s a good thing, isn’t it? Why do you seem so unhappy?"

’Advancing beyond the Ultimate Venerable Stage required an unimaginable amount of Energy. If he hadn’t stumbled upon that Spirit Vein and absorbed it all, he probably wouldn’t have had such an easy opportunity to advance.’

’This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.’

Jiang Yunnuan didn’t understand why he seemed so displeased.

"My advancement will trigger cosmic anomalies and a storm of heavenly lightning. I must leave this place. Otherwise, I’ll destroy half the city and drag countless residents down with me..."

The more powerful a Mutant Creature became, the less the world would tolerate its existence.

At his Realm, he would draw the Heavenly Dao’s killing intent. Every advancement would be a trial by heavenly tribulation, and whether or not he could survive it was an unknown, even to him.

"Ah... so you have to leave?"

Jiang Yunnuan froze. She hadn’t expected this to be the outcome.

’She couldn’t help but feel a pang of unwillingness to see him go.’