Just as Michael had suspected, the entire city was embroiled in battle.
It wasn’t just the cracks spilling monsters that spread havoc—demonic supernaturals were also at work, though they avoided smaller places like Michael’s community.
Small numbers and a lack of strategic value made such areas unworthy of their attention.
The truth was, if the Supers Association were the city’s only line of defense against the cracks appearing in the sky, the city would have still survived, albeit at the cost of significant damage and heavy casualties.
The Association branches weren’t weak.
Each branch had its own share of powerful individuals capable of handling Level 1 to Level 3 dimensional cracks.
Under normal circumstances, the first rounds of chaos could have been mitigated, and order would have been restored before things escalated further.
Unfortunately, the demonic supernaturals were well aware of this and had no intention of making things that easy.
They had the weaker cultivators blend in with the monsters to attack ordinary citizens and supernaturals affiliated with the Supers Association.
Meanwhile, their stronger cultivators maintained a barrier cast over the entire Woodstone City, preventing anyone from entering or leaving except themselves.
The barrier not only sealed the city but also blocked communication and was heavily guarded by powerful demonic cultivators to prevent the Supers Association from destroying it and communicating with the outside world.
The whole city was trapped in a prison.
“Don’t move, Brian. Our job here is just to check each other. If you move, I move,” a man floating mid-air said with a faint smirk. His ability to hover in the air marked him as a Rank 4 cultivator at least—a level just below the revered King rank.
However, this man wasn’t simply a Rank 4 cultivator; he was a genuine King-rank expert—a Rank 5 cultivator, comparable to a Rank 3 awakener.
On the surface that is.
Though the two power systems were distinct, when standing at King’s rank, a cultivator became untouchable for most awakeners below Rank 3.
At King’s rank, cultivators could transcend realms without the aid of dimensional portals and even tap into the laws of the world, a feat that set them apart as true forces of nature.
“If I were at King rank now, a monkey like you wouldn’t have even dared to speak to me, you trash,” the other man sneered, his voice laced with icy disdain.
The speaker was Brian, a member of the Supers Association Michael was familiar with.
Had Michael been there, he would have recognized the cold fury in Brian’s eyes—a sharp contrast to his usually calm demeanor.
“But you’re not King rank, Brian. I am,” the floating man retorted with an air of superiority.
Brian’s lips curled into a sharp grin as his words cut through the man’s arrogance. “Then fight me, if you dare, Peter.”
The hovering man, who was now recognised as Peter said nothing, his smug expression faltered, replaced by a cautious frown.
In the knight cultivation system, the first step in the journey was to awaken a Life Seed, which marked the beginning of a mortal’s evolution into something greater.
A peak Rank 1 Cultivator could comfortably live for a hundred years.
A Rank 2 Knight, who had evolved their Life Seed once, could live for 150 years. At this stage, they could infuse mana into their body and manipulate it to perform battle arts.
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A Rank 3 Knight, with their Life Seed evolved twice, could live for 200 years. At this point, the mana contained within their Life Seed could be externalized and used to cast spells.
While this was still inferior to traditional mages, it was a significant improvement in their abilities.
A Rank 4 Knight, having evolved their Life Seed thrice, reached the peak of their supernatural organ’s potential, and could live for 300 years.
They gained the ability to fly and could detonate their Life Seed temporarily to gain a terrifying boost in overall prowess.
Beyond this, cultivation became exponentially challenging.
A Knight would need cultivation experience, a suitable cultivation method, talent, and comprehension to transform their Life Seed into a Law Seed.
The strength of the comprehended law determined their power upon advancing to the King level, but also the difficulty of their breakthrough.
For example, Brian was a half-step King-level cultivator who had comprehended a powerful law but had been unable to transform his Life Seed into a Law Seed.
He had been stuck at this stage for 50 years—a time marked by betrayal.
Fifty years ago, the man standing before him, someone Brian once called a friend, betrayed him and the Federation, advancing to Rank 5 while Brian remained stagnant.
“What’s the matter? Don’t dare to attack?” Brian taunted, his voice sharp, almost mocking.
If Michael had been here to witness this, he would have been shocked beyond belief.
Was this the same man who once seemed indifferent, as though even the end of the world wouldn’t faze him, behaving like this?
Peter’s frown deepened, but he remained still, making no move. Though, on the surface, he was stronger than Brian, he knew—after 50 long years—that appearances could be deceiving.
The Law of Eternal Embers.
That was Brian’s law, the foundation of his fearsome power.
From the countless battles they had fought in the past, Peter had come to understand a few critical things about it.
This law was devastatingly powerful.
The Law of Eternal Embers was a profound and destructive fire-based law rooted in the principles of perpetual burning and undying flames.
Unlike ordinary fire laws, it did not focus solely on raw destructive power but embodied the concept of persistence and regeneration through fire, making it a force of perpetual burning and undying flames, both creative and destructive.
The flames conjured by this law never extinguished naturally; only the cultivator himself—or a higher-tier law—could snuff them out. These flames devoured not only physical objects but also pure energy, consuming everything it touched, and leaving nothing but ash in their wake.
Worse still, Brian’s techniques grew stronger the longer they were sustained. His flames became hotter, fiercer and more destructive over time.
It was a terrifying law, one that elevated him to the strength of an ordinary Rank 5 cultivator, despite being stuck at half-step King level.
But it came at a price.
The sheer power of the law was too much for Brian’s body to contain, which explained why he looked older than he should.
It had drained his lifespan, which would usually be far longer at his stage, and was eroded by the relentless toll of his law.
Still, Peter knew one thing: if he didn’t attack first, Brian wouldn’t either.
Brian was undeniably strong—Peter couldn’t deny that—but not strong enough to hold him back if he was dead set on not fighting him.
If he decided to destroy the city, nothing would be able to stop him.
It was this certainty that had kept Peter confident for years, keeping the “Mad Phoenix” at bay.
At least, that was what Peter believed—until he heard Brian’s next words.