"Spare me! I submit! I’ll give you every treasure I’ve looted in South Asia over the years!" The leading Kunlun League South Asia head was kowtowing to Ryan Ling with all his might.
"Treasures? Sorry, I’m not interested!" Ryan Ling said, already raising his blade.
"Please, spare me! I’ll be your dog, woof woof woof!" The guy was shaking with terror.
Ryan Ling gave a slight smile and slowly lowered his blade.
"Ryan, what use is keeping this kind of scum? You really plan to make him your dog? Is he even worthy?" The Ghost Elder turned around slowly, and Paula Bloom beside him looked furious—this guy just tried to blow up, and nearly doomed hundreds of millions of innocent people in South Asia.
"A dog? He’s not even worthy to be a pile of shit!" Ryan snorted coldly, but then added, "Still, his way of absorbing heaven-and-earth spiritual qi is useful, so I’ll let him live for now."
"Master Ryan, I’ll absorb spiritual qi for you! I’ll serve you for all eternity, no charge!" The guy realized he still had a chance, and went wild kowtowing to Ryan.
"Fine, your little trick saved your life. Now get in there!" Ryan didn’t hesitate, grabbing the old bastard and sealing him into the Demon‑Snaring Bowl. As for the fourteen other heads’ corpses floating on the sea, he swept them all into the Hell Furnace!
These were all top-tier goods. Combined with the haul from his trip to Niyama, after repeated refining in the Hell Furnace, they’d definitely produce high-grade pills. Ryan didn’t need them himself, but if his followers took them, the effects would be incredible.
Obviously, Ryan’s idea was to push all his forces up to the God Realm. With a foundation that strong, he could go head-to-head with the entire Kunlun League!
With South Asia’s resistance crushed and the Divine Dragon now supported by all sorts of priceless medicines, its wounds were slowly healing. At this point, only time was needed.
"Looks like it’s finally time to head back to Jinling!" Ryan clenched his fists. With everything wrapped up—the Nascent Soul stabilized, the Divine Dragon out of danger—his number one priority was heading home.
Paula Bloom heard Ryan talking about leaving, and couldn’t help feeling a bit wronged. The thing she’d wanted most hadn’t happened, and regret was eating at her heart.
"Ryan, hold up—I’ve got something for you. Take it before you go!" Suddenly, the Divine Dragon called out from its spot resting under the sea.
When the Divine Dragon called, Ryan didn’t dare slack off. He dove straight back to the Crystal Palace, with the Ghost Elder and Paula following him down into the depths.
Now that all the nearby threats were gone and the Divine Dragon’s power was slowly recovering, the dragon-qi defenses around the Crystal Palace kept strengthening. At the same time, the palace itself shifted position under the dragon’s control.
After all, the Divine Dragon wasn’t fully healed yet—just a little better. Extra defenses were definitely still needed!
"So, Divine Dragon—what are you giving me?" Ryan didn’t beat around the bush. After surviving this disaster, man and dragon were basically blood brothers—no need for secrets.
"Catch!" The Divine Dragon moved, and a golden halberd floated in front of Ryan.
"What’s this?" Ryan froze, his eyes lighting up. This was no ordinary weapon—wisps of immortal qi drifted from its surface!
That meant one thing—even the best Dao Artifacts couldn’t give off immortal qi.
"No way..." The Ghost Elder’s eyes bulged as he stared at Ryan.
For cultivators, weapons are ranked Spirit Artifact, Dao Artifact, and Immortal Artifact. Dao Artifacts are the best you’ll usually see in this world—Immortal Artifacts almost never show up, even for old hands like the Ghost Elder.
"This is the God-Slaughter Halberd! It fell from the sky ten years ago. Its edge qi faded over the years, so now it’s basically a top Dao Artifact, but I’m sure in your hands it’ll evolve into an Immortal Artifact again. Once it’s restored, you’ll be unstoppable!" the Divine Dragon said.
"Thank you, Divine Dragon!" Ryan quickly nodded. Sure, he’d reached Nascent Soul and his power had shot up, but he still didn’t have a weapon that truly matched his new realm. The Kanglong Mace was strong, but at his current level, it just wasn’t enough—it’d always be stuck as a Dao Artifact, never an Immortal Artifact.
But this God-Slaughter Halberd actually had a shot!
And the best part? It fell right out of the sky—the origin’s extraordinary. Its power might not even be limited to Immortal Artifacts!
Ryan grabbed the halberd and instantly felt his Nascent Soul realm tick up a notch. He could sense a weird affinity with the weapon, like it was meant for him.
"Ryan, besides the halberd, I suggest you double down on immortal arts—keep Wood-Element Immortal Arts as your base, but push thunder and fire systems hard. I’ve got some rare manuals here; take them all. They’ll help you fight and make your future Heaven-Tribulation breakthrough way easier!" The Divine Dragon finished, handing Ryan the thunder and fire manuals.
Ryan nodded—yeah, the Divine Dragon really understood him.
During this whole power-up stretch, his strength kept skyrocketing—from Golden Core to Nascent Soul—but his immortal arts had stalled for a while. Even the Purgatory Soul-Suppressing Art he got from Granny Soul had only reached the fifth layer before this war. Now it was time to pick everything back up; only by perfecting every technique he’d ever learned could he really dare to challenge Heaven-Tribulation.
If even one link was missing, it’d be a huge disadvantage for his Heaven-Tribulation breakthrough!
The Divine Dragon was clearly a tribulation veteran—he was already laying plans for Ryan’s future breakthrough.
"Thanks, Divine Dragon!" Ryan took a deep breath and didn’t stand on ceremony, scooping up all the manuals and heading out of the Crystal Palace.
He’d rampaged around South Asia for days—now it was finally time to head home!
Starlight glittered overhead—the South Sea sky was dazzling tonight.
The Ghost Elder slipped back into Ryan’s body and started cultivating in earnest. All those Shaman Cult treasures would do wonders for his soul!
Once the Ghost Elder was settled, Ryan got in touch with Guihai One-Blade, who was far off in Jinling.
The Century Witch, Victor Hua, Zane Ouyang—they’d all made some moves, but none had crossed the line. Clearly, Ryan’s South Asia rampage had made them think twice.
"We should be near Southcape Island now. Paula, let me send you home first. The battle for Jinling’s gonna be dangerous, and you’ve been helping me nonstop—your family probably has a ton of stuff to handle." Ryan glanced at Paula Bloom.
Paula’s face twisted with grievance; she bit her lip and said, "So you still think I’m just a burden, huh?"
As soon as she finished, tears rolled down Paula’s cheeks—raw, unfiltered.
"No, it’s not like that! Don’t overthink it—I really do have urgent business, I need to go!" Ryan’s heart was racing.
"Is the north about to invade, or are you just itching to see your other girlfriends?" Paula sobbed, her voice thick with emotion.
Right then, thunder cracked overhead and rain poured down, soaking Paula until her curvy silhouette was barely visible through her clothes. Seeing her like this, Ryan’s heart ached—she looked so fragile in the storm.
"Paula, please, don’t be like this. Let me send you home!" Ryan reached out, but Paula suddenly threw herself into his arms, her whole body pressed tight against him.
She cried out, voice trembling with anger and longing, "Am I really so unworthy of your love? Is my body not good enough, or am I just too old for you?"
"No way! Your figure is one of a kind! Look, it’s pouring out here—let me send you home!" Ryan couldn’t bear to see her like this.
"Forget it! I’ve got legs, I’ll walk myself. I don’t need you!" Paula snapped, trying to pull away from Ryan.
"Ryan, it’s already late—and Paula’s clearly head over heels for you. Just stay with her tonight, you won’t lose anything!" The Ghost Elder cackled from inside Ryan.
"Paula... Alright, fine, I—I won’t leave tonight!" Ryan gave in, seeing her so distraught he couldn’t bring himself to go.
And the moment the words left his mouth, Paula spun around and kissed him—hard...