Ethan didn’t reach out to touch her. Instead, he simply opened his palm, releasing the miniature black hole that pulsated with a hungering, violet-black light. The gravitational pull was immediate, but it didn’t just pull her body; it began to unravel her existence.

This was not the pain of a blade or the sting of a whip. This was the absolute agony of being dismantled atom by atom. The Void began to tear at her spiritual foundation and her very soul, a sensation that went beyond the physical limits of human nerves. Her cold, defiant mask shattered instantly. A shriek of pure, unadulterated horror erupted from her throat, echoing off the cold steel walls of the vault.

The Royal workers nearby paused for a split second, looking on with a mix of pity and awe. To see such a refined beauty being erased from reality felt like a tragic waste, but the air around Ethan was so heavy with killing intent that no one dared to breathe, let alone speak. They turned back to their consoles, the screams providing a haunting rhythm to their work.

Su Ni watched in paralyzed silence. He saw the woman who had been his loyal shadow for years turn into a distorted blur of light and shadow before vanishing into nothingness. Not even a speck of dust remained. She was gone—not just dead, but deleted from history.

Su Ni’s bladder gave way, the warmth spreading through his silk robes. He looked at Ethan as if he were looking at the personification of the end times.

"Well, my friend," Ethan said, turning his gaze toward the trembling Young Master. "It seems you’re the only one left. Since you’re so fond of silence, I suppose I’ll just have to dispose of you the same way."

Ethan raised his hand again, the dark sphere beginning to grow.

"Wait! Ethan, don’t kill him yet!"

The voice cut through the hum of the machinery. Ethan checked his momentum and let the black hole dissipate. He turned to see Matriarch Blackwood approaching, her expression solemn.

"Anne," Ethan said, a flicker of a smile crossing his face. "It’s been a while. What brings you to the basement?"

"Ethan, you mustn’t annihilate them all," she said, coming to a halt beside him.

Ethan narrowed his eyes. "Do you know them, Matriarch? Are they from your old sect?" He had long suspected Anne’s past was more complex than she let on, but he kept his tone neutral. He released his grip on Su Ni, dropping the whimpering mess of a man onto the floor at her feet.

Anne leaned over, inspecting the symbols on Su Ni’s mangled armor. "No... the Crimson Sect. This is strange."

"What is it, Matriarch?"

"They aren’t from the surrounding continents " she said, her brow furrowing. "They come from much further away. How did they arrive here so quickly?"

"I don’t follow," Ethan replied.

"Ethan, in the region I came from, this sect did not exist. And of the other Outsiders who have attempted to settle near the dome, none came from a place called the Northern Peaks. I have some theories, but I need information. If you’ll allow me to extract some answers, I would be grateful."

Ethan stepped back, gesturing toward Su Ni with an open hand. "Of course, Matriarch. He’s all yours."

Anne’s eyes turned a deep, sanguine red. She didn’t use words or threats. From her fingertips, thin, needle-like whips of condensed blood emerged. They moved like living parasites, slithering across the floor before finding the open wounds on Su Ni’s arms and legs.

Su Ni let out a muffled gag as the blood-whips burrowed beneath his skin. They didn’t just cut; they entered his circulatory system, filling his veins with Anne’s own essence. Su Ni’s body jerked and contorted as the red lines traced a map of his entire nervous system, turning his skin into a translucent web of agonizing pressure. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"Now, little prince," Anne whispered, her voice cold and melodic. "Let’s see what secrets are hiding in that pampered blood of yours."

Anne leaned in, her eyes reflecting the crimson agony she was inflicting.

"Listen closely, little prince," Anne whispered, her voice like silk over shattered glass. "If you do not answer, your suffering will become eternal. My blood is in your veins now; I can keep your heart beating even as I melt your nerves. You will not die. You will only endure until the end of time."

Su Ni’s body arched, his muscles seizing as the first wave of true agony hit him. He tried to resist, but the sensation of his own blood boiling was too much.

"Where is your sect located?" Anne asked.

"The Northern Peaks!" Su Ni wheezed, his eyes bulging. "They... they stretch across thousands of mountains... hundreds of thousands of kilometers..."

"What is the rank of your sect?"

"A Rank 2 Sect!" Su Ni screamed as a whip twitched near his spine.

"And the strongest cultivator?"

"My father! He is in the Spiritual Sea Realm! Damn you! I’m cooperating, stop the torture! Fuck, just stop!"

Ethan watched from the side, his arms crossed. Spiritual Soul Realm. A rank he hadn’t even unlocked in his own knowledge base yet. The gap was wider than he thought.

"Why did you come here?" Anne continued, ignoring his pleas.

"We received messages! Someone called the ’Deacon’... he sent word of great treasures hidden on this rock! He said there was only one strong individual, and he wasn’t even above the Spiritual Gathering Realm! Damn it, stop!"

"How many of you came?"

"Only a single scout squadron... 250 men. All are inner disciples at the peak of the Spiritual Gathering Realm."

Ethan’s brow furrowed. "If you’re a Rank 2 Sect, why didn’t you bring anyone in the Spiritual Core Realm? If you had sent just ten of them, I would have had a much harder time."

"Are you an idiot?!" Su Ni shrieked, spit and blood flying from his mouth. "It’s not that we didn’t want to! You can’t enter this place! No one above the Core Realm can pass the barrier, no matter how hard we try! We can only send those below it, and even then, we were weakened upon entry... otherwise, this wouldn’t have been so easy for you!"

Anne’s eyes flickered with realization. The "Great Dome" wasn’t just a cage for the people inside; it was a filter for those outside.

--------------------

From this moment forward, to avoid confusion regarding cultivation ranks, I will include this footer with the current established levels.

Note: These are only the ranks mentioned so far to avoid spoilers.

Body Refinement Realm

Skin Refinement / Bone Refinement / Organ Refinement

Spiritual Gathering Realm

Spiritual Perception / Spiritual Mist / Spiritual Condensation

Spiritual Core Realm

Core Solidification / Core Awakening / Spiritual Collapse (Half-step Spiritual Core)

Spiritual Soul Realm

Spiritual Soul Awakening / [Locked] / [Locked]