Chapter 122: Mythic Grade Martial Art

Rhain looked down at the bowing City Lord.

In truth, Rhain had absolutely no interest in attending a banquet or sitting down for tea with the City Lord.

He had spent the entire night orchestrating the complete annihilation of the Ashvele Clan and launching Solar Annihilation Art with his full force.

He just wanted to go back to his courtyard and rest.

But just as he was about to open his mouth to refuse, a sudden thought flashed through his mind

He remembered the System map.

In the entirety of the colossal Mirravele City, there were exactly two Location Sign-In nodes.

One of them was the Mirravele Alchemy Guild, which had already granted him the Grandmaster Alchemist Inheritance.

The second node... was City Lord’s Pavilion.

If he returned to the Silvercrest estate now, he would eventually have to find another excuse to infiltrate the heavily guarded Pavilion later.

Cassian was practically handing him the keys to the front door on a silver platter.

"Very well," Rhain agreed after pretending to think for a while, Because City Lord Cassian is so sincere, I will accept your invitation."

Hearing those words, a smile of relief appeared on Cassian’s pale face.

"Thank you, Grandmaster! Thank you!" Cassian straightened up, directing his own team to march back, before looking back at Rhain, "Please, allow me to lead the way!"

Rhain gave a slight nod to Aldric and Vulcan, signaling them to disperse, before commanding Kiki to follow Cassian.

With a powerful flap of its sapphire wings, the massive eagle took to the sky, trailing closely behind Cassian.

Down below, as the two figures departed, Aurelian, Solari Patriarch, and the rest of the surviving coalition slowly turned their gazes to the burning estate.

The dust and debris had still not settled, though it could not obscure their eyes.

They stepped cautiously toward the epicenter of the blast.

The Ashvele Clan—a sprawling, luxurious compound that had stood for three centuries—was simply gone.

"Search the ruins," the Solari Patriarch commanded. "Dig through every inch of this crater! Find their spatial rings and the underground vaults! Ashvele Clan hoarded wealth for over three centuries."

Spirit Manifestation experts immediately scattered, their Spiritual Senses sweeping frantically across the scorched earth, overturning massive slabs of blackened rock.

A few minutes passed.

Then an hour.

Eventually, they returned to the center, their faces bearing disappointed expressions.

Entire Ashvele Clan was destroyed so thoroughly that not even a single blade of grass, let alone a copper coin, was left behind.

They could only swallow their bitter disappointment.

Having found absolutely nothing, they left the ruined crater dejectedly.

__________

At the very center of the administrative district, City Lord’s Pavilion stood like a towering fortress.

Kiki’s massive talons touched down gently before the grand entrance.

The guards at the entrance were frightened out of their wits, but seeing City Lord personally leading, they lowered their weapons and relaxed.

Rhain hopped down from the Kiki’s back.

He gently patted Kiki. "Go back to Vulcan," Rhain instructed.

SCREEECH—!

Kiki let out a low, respectful coo, rubbing its beak affectionately against Rhain’s arm one last time before spreading its massive wings and shooting back into the night sky.

Rhain then walked toward the towering main gates of the Pavilion.

The moment his boot crossed the threshold—

[Ding!]

[Location Sign-In detected: Mirravele City — City Lord’s Pavilion.]

[Sign In?]

Rhain didn’t break his stride.

’Yes.’

[Location Sign-In Successful!]

[Reward: Mystic-Grade Martial Art — Void Fist (Second Form).]

[Item cannot be stored in the system space. It has been directly integrated into the host’s consciousness.]

A surge of profound knowledge detonated inside Rhain’s mind.

In the span of a single breath, Rhain fully digested the new technique.

His dark grey eyes lit up brilliantly.

Mythic Grade!

A grade beyond the Epic Grade.

The First Form of the Void Fist, which he had relied on to even kill Spirit Manifestation Realm experts, was only a Rare-Grade technique.

Its power lay in bypassing physical defenses to detonate compressed dark essence directly inside an opponent’s internal organs.

It was already terrifying enough, but the second form made even his heart beat faster with excitement.

The Second Form of the Void Fist did not just increase his raw damage output; it fundamentally altered the laws of his attacks, granting him two unbelievably powerful new abilities.

First: Spatial Transmission.

Previously, to utilize the Void Fist, Rhain needed to make direct physical contact with his target or their defense.

Now, he didn’t need to touch them at all.

By punching in the direction of his opponent, the compressed dark essence would instantly travel through the fabric of space itself, bypassing distance entirely to detonate directly inside the target’s internal organs.

It now was a ranged, unblockable strike of pure destruction.

Second: Essence Devouring.

Every single time the Mystic-Grade Void Fist detonated inside an opponent, it would violently suck a portion of their essence.

This stolen energy would be instantly fed back into Rhain’s Abyssal Sovereign Physique, replenishing his reserves mid-battle.

This upgrade elevated his combat strength to a whole new dimension.

In the past, fighting a Core Formation Realm expert head-on was a dangerous gamble.

Even with his Sovereign-Grade physique, the sheer, bottomless volume of a Core Formation expert’s Essence Core gave them an overwhelming advantage in a war of attrition.

That was the sole reason he had been forced to rely on the Heaven-Grade flame and the Solar Annihilation Sphere Art to obliterate Hayden.

But now?

With the ability to strike through space and continuously leech their massive essence reserves to fuel himself, that disparity had been significantly bridged.

He no longer needed to drop a miniature sun to fight them.

"A truly lethal trump card.’ Rhain praised in his mind, perfectly concealing his satisfaction.

Cassian led Rhain into the most luxurious private chamber of the Pavilion.

"Please, Grandmaster, take the main seat," Cassian gestured with utmost humility.

Rhain sat down comfortably, his expression returning to the aloof visage of a supreme sage.

"Bring the Millennium Cloud Tea! Now!" Cassian barked at the trembling attendants, who scrambled out of the hall.

Cassian didn’t dare to sit.

He stood before Rhain like an ordinary servant.

"Grandmaster," Cassian began, his voice dripping with sycophantic flattery, "I have already dispatched my Silver-Armored Guards to ensure that the remnants of the Ashvele Clan’s external businesses are confiscated and transferred directly to you as compensation for your emotional distress."

He wiped a bead of cold sweat from his brow.

"If there is anything else you require—any rare materials, any specific artifacts from my Pavilion’s treasury for your alchemy—you need only say the word. It is yours."

His mind was in turmoil.

If a Grandmaster Alchemist harbored even the slightest grievance and reported that he had been ambushed in his city to the Alchemy Association in the Inner Province...

His position as City Lord would be stripped for sure.

Rhain rested his elbow on the armrest, calmly gazing at Cassian’s nervous figure.

It definitely feels Good to see the lord of the city being so subservient.

"City Lord Cassian," Rhain spoke, his voice laced with a benevolent, sagely tone. ""I am a reasonable man. The treachery of the Ashvele Clan was their own doing. And I do not want to hold you accountable for the actions of a few rabid dogs."

Cassian’s shoulders dropped with a massive, shuddering exhale.

"Thank you, Grandmaster! Your benevolence is as vast as the heavens!"

"However," Rhain continued, his eyes turning sharp. "I prefer my peace and quiet. I do not want my identity or my actions tonight to become a topic of gossip for the Inner Province. I assume the City Lord knows how to write his official reports regarding the destruction of the Ashvele Clan?"

Cassian wasn’t an idiot. He instantly caught the meaning.

"Absolutely, Grandmaster!" Cassian nodded vehemently. "The Ashvele Clan was destroyed by a coalition of the Solari and Silvercrest Clans due to an irreconcilable blood feud! The Alchemy Guild and any... esteemed guests... had absolutely no involvement in the matter!"

"Good." Rhain spoke with a smile, "You are a very smart man, Cassian."

For the next two hours, Cassian tried his best to please Rhain.

He personally brewed the rare Millennium Cloud Tea.

He brought out plates of delicacies filled with essence that could elevate an ordinary cultivator’s realm with a single bite.

He even offered to summon the most beautiful dancers in the city, though Rhain immediately dismissed the notion with an indifferent wave of his hand.

Rhain played the part of the untouchable expert to perfection.

He sat leisurely in the main seat, sipping his tea with an unreadable expression, offering only sparse, noncommittal nods to Cassian’s desperate flattery.

Once Rhain felt he had extracted enough face and cemented his untouchable status in the City Lord’s mind, he slowly stood up.

"The tea was satisfactory, City Lord," Rhain said, standing up. "I will not hold today’s negligence against you."

Hearing those words, the massive boulder pressing against Cassian’s chest vanished.

"Thank you! Thank you, Grandmaster, for your boundless magnanimity!" Cassian nearly wept with relief.

He had survived. His position—and his life—were secure.

"I will take my leave now."

"I will personally escort you, Grandmaster!" Cassian offered hastily.

"Don’t bother," Rhain dismissed him with a wave of his hand. "I prefer to travel alone."

Without waiting for a response, Rhain stepped out of the chamber.