Right now, Ryan Ling was practically bursting with excitement. But at this critical moment, Lady Melody suddenly unleashed a surge of terrifying power straight from her mouth. Instantly, Ryan felt as if every ounce of energy and spirit was being sucked out of him, leaving him in total panic—the thrill from moments ago was wiped out, replaced by sheer terror.
In a flash, Ryan realized that Lady Melody was just way too strong—Profound Immortal Realm power was absolutely out of his league. Taking it head-on as a mere Heavenly Immortal, there was no way he could handle it. Honestly, his luck just wasn’t high enough yet; he simply couldn’t survive a direct Profound Immortal-level ‘baptism!’
At that moment, Lady Melody clearly noticed Ryan’s reaction. She wasn’t dumb—actually, she was sharper than anyone. Seeing what was happening, she immediately let go of Ryan.
The instant she released him, that suffocating feeling vanished. Ryan, who’d been on the brink of death, slowly started to recover. Still, the fear lingered in his heart—no way was he going to risk a second round!
“Sigh, I got way too impatient—sorry!” Lady Melody quickly apologized, clearly realizing she’d been a bit too eager just now.
But Ryan wouldn’t dare accept her apology. He hurriedly replied, “It’s not your fault—it’s my own lack of strength. Looks like I’ll just have to reach Heavenly Immortal great-perfection first. Breaking through to Profound Immortal is probably not happening anytime soon!”
Ryan knew perfectly well—you gotta eat one bite at a time, and you gotta climb realms step by step. Trying to brute-force your way through? Yeah, not realistic at all!
“Ryan, don’t get discouraged! Making it this far is already incredible—below Profound Immortal, nobody’s your match. You’re literally one step away from breaking through, and I bet you’ll make it in three months, tops!” Lady Melody comforted him, obviously knowing exactly what he needed right now. But some things just can’t be rushed—if the timing isn’t right, you can’t force it!
Ryan nodded. Deep down, he was super grateful to Lady Melody—without her help, he probably wouldn’t have gotten anywhere near this realm. Achieving Heavenly Immortal great-perfection in such a short time was already a huge deal; Profound Immortal was honestly a luxury goal. Now that he’d figured that out, he was done stressing.
“Alright, Ryan, come out of the water first. Since you can’t break through to Profound Immortal right now, let me give you an awesome treasure—it’ll definitely help you out when it counts, and I swear it’s tailor-made for you!” Lady Melody finished speaking, then pulled a silver needle from her ear and tossed it to the ground. Instantly, the needle began to expand, turning into a staff-sized rod—basically a dead ringer for the legendary Ruyi Golden Cudgel!
“What’s this?” Ryan was stunned, almost unable to believe it. This treasure was clearly top-tier—among Immortal Artifacts, its grade was absolutely the highest. Ryan could feel it had a special fate with him. With this weapon, even though he was still just a Heavenly Immortal, maybe he could unleash Profound Immortal-level power at a critical moment!
“Go ahead and take it! I’m sure you’ll make it shine in your hands!” Lady Melody didn’t say much—she just handed the treasure over to Ryan.
Ryan didn’t stand on ceremony. He could feel this treasure was totally meant for him, so he accepted it right away!
“Alright, it’s getting late. I know you’ve got more urgent things to do, so head down the mountain!” Lady Melody knew Ryan had important business and didn’t try to keep him—she just sent him off directly.
Ryan nodded. He could see the reluctance in Lady Melody’s eyes—she’d waited a thousand years and still hadn’t truly gotten together with him. But Ryan knew their fate wasn’t over yet; there’d be more chances later. For now, he said goodbye, hurried down the mountain, and didn’t waste a single second. Time was gold, and the situation at Ruins Sect was still a mystery—who knew if the sect leaders were even alive? And the Sky-Burial Necropolis wasn’t totally safe either; it could hide them for a while, but it wasn’t a permanent refuge. Sect Master Drake Long was a Profound Immortal; once he recovered, he’d find them sooner or later. Ryan had to rush back, no time for hesitation.
“R-Ryan, how are you holding up?” When Elder Harold Hong saw Ryan finally come down the mountain, he could hardly believe his eyes. He rushed over, staring wide-eyed to check him over.
“Alright, quit gawking—let’s move!” Ryan didn’t have time for chit-chat; he already sensed a crisis brewing at the Sky-Burial Necropolis!
He immediately grabbed Elder Harold Hong and tore off toward the Sky-Burial Necropolis. Last time, it had taken him three days to get from there to Skycrest Peak; this time, the return trip only took half a day—a clear sign his strength had skyrocketed. But that wasn’t the point. The moment he arrived, the devastated surroundings made his heart sink. He’d rushed, but he was still a step too late. Nine-Dragon Gate had obviously beaten him there!
Elder Harold Hong turned pale with fright—the Sky-Burial Necropolis’s Void and Earth Immortal burial zones were almost completely blown to bits, not even bone fragments left. Only the Heavenly Immortal Burial Ground still had a few remnants, but it was barely recognizable.
“A-are there any survivors?” Elder Harold Hong was on the verge of collapse. After all they’d done to save the sect’s ‘fire seeds,’ now he had to watch them get wiped out. He was suffering more than anyone, but this time, he was powerless to change anything. Instinctively, he looked to Ryan—only Ryan could handle this mess now!
Not that Ryan was feeling much better—he wasn’t a god, and he couldn’t pull off miracles every time. If something really bad had happened, there was nothing he could do to fix it.
Plus, a bunch of his women were mixed in—Jade Xuan, Linglong, Joanna Long, even May Xia. He didn’t want anything to happen to any of them, but if disaster struck, there was nothing he could do!
Just as he was feeling totally helpless, a voice suddenly rang out.
“Ryan Ling, is that you?”
The moment he heard that voice, Ryan jolted so hard he nearly froze. It was insanely familiar—Celia Xiao, always by his side!
“Linglong, you’re okay?” Ryan took a deep breath. Suddenly, he saw a head poking out from under a giant boulder—sure enough, it was Linglong! Next to her were Joanna Long, May Xia, and the other women, plus a bunch of survivors from Ruins Sect. They were weak, but at least they weren’t seriously injured!
“You’re all alive? That’s amazing—really amazing!” Elder Harold Hong was so excited he could barely contain himself. He’d been on the verge of despair, but now he was jumping for joy. To him, these sect ‘fire seeds’ mattered more than his own life!
“We’re okay, really!” The sect’s young disciples were obviously still terrified—they all crowded around Elder Harold Hong.
But Linglong, Joanna Long, and the others just looked at Ryan. They weren’t excited at all—their eyes were filled with helplessness.
“What happened?” Ryan asked quickly.
Linglong steadied herself and said urgently, “Ryan, you have to save Jade Xuan and Senior Linglong! They sacrificed themselves for us—now their fate is uncertain!”
With those words, Ryan finally started to understand. Jade Xuan must’ve risked everything, using herself as bait to draw Nine-Dragon Gate’s attack away. That’s how everyone else survived—but now she was in grave danger…