"A fourth-level tribtion?!" Donna eximed, her remaining eye widening in disbelief.


    Tribtions were ssified into five levels, and those attempting to break through to the Basic Mastery realm could choose whether or not to brave a higher-level tribtion once they reached the third level.


    Her master had initially been on track for a third-level tribtion.


    Never had she imagined he would attempt a fourth-level one!


    "Hahaha, so the rumors are true! Chuck is as arrogant and stubborn as they say!" Den''s voice boomed across the battlefield as he appeared beside Brody, a triumphant smirk on his face.


    "To think he would be foolish enough to attempt a fourth-level tribtion! Such arrogance! Such folly! He''s never witnessed the true terror of a fourth-level Basic Mastery tribtion. He''s walking to his death!"


    Brody''s face darkened at Den''s arrival.


    He had been ready to cut his losses and retreat, but this cunning old fox had seen through him.


    "Brody," Den said, turning to him with a sly smile.


    "Chuck is as good as dead. There''s no need to concern yourself with him any longer. As for these Azure Cloud pests..."


    He nced at the battered defenders, a flicker of fear in his eyes.


    These people were a menace.


    "The national advisor''s orders are clear: leave no survivors."


    Brody sighed inwardly.


    He had no choice.


    With a roar, he led the remaining Heavenly Path Venerable projections forward.


    Donna''s remaining eye zed with defiance as she watched them approach.


    "Here theye! It doesn''t matter if my master seeds or not! We fight on! If I fall, I''ll join my master in the afterlife, and together we will repay your kindness!"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Yes!" The Azure Cloud cultivators roared in unison.


    They would face their deaths without fear.


    But as Brody and his forces closed in, they froze, their advance halting abruptly.


    Even the battle-hungry Azure Cloud cultivators stared in astonishment.


    Every eye on the battlefield was drawn towards a single point in the distance.


    "Boom! Boom!"


    A series of explosions ripped through the air.


    The source: Radiant Sky Grotto.


    ...


    "Boom!"


    Radiant Sky Grotto was engulfed in mes, explosions erupting across its once-serenendscape.


    The bustling marketce outside the sect, home to countless psychics specializing in unique crafts and skills, fell silent as its inhabitants watched in horror.


    The explosions were centered around the heart of Radiant Sky Grotto, its hidden sanctuary.


    "What''s happening?"


    "Who would dare attack Radiant Sky Grotto?"


    "Have they been invaded?!"


    Panic gripped the marketce.


    Radiant Sky Grotto was no ordinary sect. Enjoy new tales from empire


    It housed Advanced Mastery experts and was renowned throughout the Emerald Empire.


    Some imed that while it might not be the most powerful sect, it was undoubtedly the most unique.


    Alchemists, mystical artisans, Druid poison masters... practitioners of countless unorthodox paths had gathered within its walls.


    And these unorthodox experts were not to be trifled with.


    Moreover, Radiant Sky Grotto had maintained a strong presence in the grand hall for years, with disciples like Owen serving as its representatives.


    No one in their right mind would dare provoke them.


    And yet, their sanctuary was under attack!


    Panic spread through the marketce like wildfire.


    Inside Radiant Sky Grotto, chaos reigned.


    Believing they were under attack, the disciples scrambled to defend their home.


    Explosions rocked the hidden sanctuary, over two hundred detonations in total.


    Deep within the sanctuary, hidden within the trunk of a towering tree, a figure materialized.


    It was an elderly man.


    He rose into the air, ascending to the highest point of Radiant Sky Grotto.


    Gazing down at the inferno below, at his panicked disciples, he made a series of calctions with his fingers.


    His brow furrowed in annoyance.


    "What reckless foolishness," he muttered.


    A disciple flew towards him, bowing respectfully.


    "Grandmaster," the disciple reported, his voice trembling, "someone nted mystical bombs throughout our sanctuary. Two hundred and thirty-six of them! They were expertly concealed, their energy signatures masked. Each bomb detonated with the force of a Developing Skill expert, causing widespread destruction."


    The middle-aged disciple, fearing his Grandmaster''s wrath, quickly added, "But rest assured, Grandmaster, the casualties are minimal. The bombs mainly damaged thend within the sanctuary. It will take a few years to restore, but the mystical beast enclosure suffered the brunt of the attack. Many of our beasts perished, and it will be a long time before we can harvest their essence for our potions.


    As for casualties... only a dozen or so disciples were injured, and two lost their lives. They were caught off guard while refining materials."


    The Grandmaster of Radiant Sky Grotto remained impassive, his gaze fixed on the chaos below.


    He resembled a benevolent grandfather, but instead of addressing the explosions, he asked, "Quinn, I hear you''ve been associating with those imperial noblestely."


    "That..." Quinn, the sect leader and a distant descendant of the Grandmaster, stiffened.


    He fidgeted nervously, his chubby face slick with sweat.


    "Grandmaster, those imperial nobles require our assistance. It''s only natural that we maintain a cordial rtionship."


    The Grandmaster nodded slowly.


    "I advise you to distance yourself from them. You seem to have learned their art of selective reporting. Why tell me only the trivial matters? Why not mention what Radiant Sky Grotto has lost? And how is it that over two hundred bombs were nted right under our noses, and yet you knew nothing of it?"


    "Forgive me, Grandmaster! It was my negligence!" Quinn Daoist prostrated himself.


    But when he looked up, the Grandmaster was gone.


    He breathed a sigh of relief, then cursed under his breath.


    "Who could have done this? And how could they have bypassed our defenses and divination techniques?!"


    As smoke and dust filled the air in Radiant Sky Grotto, a servant girl took advantage of the chaos to make her escape.


    Disciples rushed past, frantically searching for the perpetrators, while a burly man in ck-gilded armor stood before her, his face a mask of disbelief.


    "You..." Owen gestured at the raging inferno around them, his gaze fixed on Helen, who seemed strangely detached from the unfolding disaster.


    "The ckwoods promised to help me rescue Julian if I smuggled you in! Is this what they call help?!"


    "Yes," Helen replied calmly.


    "But I''m afraid I have some bad news. We couldn''t get your grandfather out."


    Owen''s eye twitched at her nonchnt tone.


    Bad news? Was there any news worse than Radiant Sky Grotto being blown to smithereens?


    The explosions, the chaos... it all pointed to the ckwoods being behind this.


    He suddenly felt like an aplice to a crime.


    Suppressing his anger, he reminded himself of the ckwoods'' current predicament.


    "And the good news?" he asked through gritted teeth.


    Helen frowned, trying to figure out how to break the news without sending Owen into a frenzy.


    Just then, a distant voice cut through themotion.


    "It''s terrible! The AI Bionic Robot facility has been robbed! Ten percent of our stock, gone!"