Within the concealment domain, silence pressed heavily on the group.

No one spoke at first. Faces were rigid, expressions tightened by what they had just seen through the monochrome orbs. Even breathing felt restrained, as though sound itself might fracture something fragile in the air.

Kiaria broke the silence.

"We need to decide quickly," he said, his voice level but unyielding. "Time is not on our side."

Mu Long stepped forward without hesitation.

"We infiltrate," he said coldly. "And we annihilate everything in front of the people. Let the entire fortress collapse in one strike."

Princess Lainsa turned toward him at once.

"That's absurd," she said sharply. "If we rush into slaughter, how will we uncover the root cause? And don't forget–we still haven't found the higher officials of the Association or the formation master."

Her gaze hardened.

"We cannot act blindly."

Aizrel crossed his arms, eyes narrowed in thought.

"Then why not infiltrate quietly," he said, "assassinate key figures in secret, impersonate them, and investigate from within?"

Kiaria shook his head slowly.

"We don't have time for that," he replied. "We are only spending three days here. A long-term replacement operation isn't viable."

Diala lifted her gaze from the ground.

"Why not extract the bone man's memories?" she asked. "With your abilities, Patron, you could search his mind for everything he knows."

Princess Lainsa answered before Kiaria could.

"It's possible," she said, "but unreliable. What if he doesn't know enough? Or worse–what if his memories were already erased or tampered with?"

Chief finally spoke.

"Then why not enter openly with constructed identities," he said.

"Save the prisoners. Turn them into our force. If we destroy the demons and beasts first, the chain of fear will break."

He looked toward Kiaria.

"They'll raise their weapons themselves. And when that happens, the formation master–or whoever is truly leading this place–will be forced to reveal themselves."

Princess Lainsa exhaled quietly.

"That could work," she said. "But even if it succeeds, someone else will just rise and take control. The structure won't change. Only the names will."

A brief pause followed.

Then Kiaria spoke again.

"Big Sister," he said silently, his voice entering Princess Lainsa's mind alone.

He explained his plan to her through telepathy, step by step, without interruption.

Her eyes widened slightly.

Then softened.

"That will work," she replied silently.

Kiaria turned back to the others and repeated the plan aloud, laying out every stage, every condition, every contingency. No one interrupted him this time.

When he finished, the concealment domain felt even heavier.

"Remember this," Kiaria said quietly.

"This plan only works if the results of those variables are positive."

One by one, they nodded.

No one objected.

The concealment domain receded in silence.

The distorted air folded inward and vanished, revealing the group standing once more beneath the open sky. Chief Azriel, Mu Long, Ru, and Yi positioned themselves behind Kiaria and Princess Lainsa. Aizrel moved without hesitation to stand behind Diala, his posture straight, his presence subdued.

Diala raised her hand.

A ripple of pale jade light unfolded beside her, and her mount–White Jade–materialized soundlessly, its hooves touching the ground without a single echo. At the same time, the Crescent Jade Nine Blades appeared behind her, circling in a slow, disciplined orbit. In her right hand, the Scarlet Jade Sword formed, its edge catching the light with a restrained crimson gleam.

Kiaria rose into the air.

His body lifted effortlessly until he hovered several feet above the ground, his presence quiet but unmistakably dominant. He turned slowly, his gaze passing over each of them in turn.

"From here until we leave this fortress," he said evenly,

"you will address me as Ghost God, and her as Goddess Shade."

His eyes lingered briefly on each face.

"Add Lord in front of our titles whenever you speak of us. None of you will reveal our real names under any circumstance. As for Hylisi–she remains in Anthill."

A faint spatial distortion opened behind Hylisi.

The Yaksha Queen's portal stabilized into a soft-edged black oval. Hylisi stepped toward it, then paused long enough to nod once to Chief Azriel. Without another word, she entered the portal and vanished.

The distortion sealed.

"Now we enter," Kiaria said.

"From this moment onward, she and I are siblings. You are our disciples. That is your identity."

He turned and drifted forward.

Diala urged White Jade into motion, the mount walking calmly beside him, its steps perfectly aligned with his hovering pace.

They moved only a few steps.

Then Diala tilted her head slightly.

"Ghost," she said, quietly.

"Don't you feel like we forgot something important?"

Kiaria glanced at her.

"Maybe," he replied.

Mu Long placed a heavy hand on Chief Azriel's shoulder.

"Mu Long," Chief muttered, his voice strained,

"a strong man like you doubling my weight by laying hands on me isn't helping. The casket alone is already making blisters from continuous use."

They stopped.

Every one of them turned toward him.

Chief froze, confused by the sudden silence.

"…Did I say something wrong?" he asked, looking from face to face.

He frowned and repeated his own words under his breath.

Once.

Twice.

A third time.

Then his eyes widened.

"…Casket."

He straightened abruptly.

"We forgot to change our dressings and remove the old identity set," he said loudly.

He reached back at once and began pulling the casket free from his back, moving too fast, too stiffly.

"Chief. Chief," Ru called out.

He stepped forward calmly.

"The fact is–we're already clean," Ru said.

"We just need to remove the caskets and leave them somewhere. Then cleanse in the pagoda like before. You don't have to rush."

Chief's ears reddened.

He avoided looking in Aizrel's direction.

The Ruyi Arrow Crown Formation pagoda appeared.

At the same time, spatial distortions flickered as the Yaksha Queen redirected the caskets into Anthill, removing them from the field entirely.

The final adjustments were made.

Kiaria hovered forward again.

Diala guided White Jade to his side.

One by one, they followed.

They passed into the entrance formation together.

The spatial distortion at the entrance formation folded inward and vanished. The unnatural current that flowed endlessly through the fortress hesitated, then slowed, as if the air itself had forgotten how to move.

Two figures walked out.

One descended from the air, cloaked in black shadow with monochrome cape and crown.Beside him walked a woman riding a pale jade beast, nine crescent blades circling behind her in silent orbit same like him.

Their disciples followed behind them.

Straight-backed.Unhurried.Faces carrying quiet pride.

Every gaze in the market shifted.

Chains stopped scraping.Coins slipped from trembling fingers and struck stone.Glass vials shattered where they fell, their contents seeping into dust.

No one spoke.

Not because they were ordered to be silent.

Because something inside them refused to let sound escape.

They had heard the stories since childhood.They had prayed to myths.They had cursed imaginary Gods.

But this–

This was the first time they were standing in front of something that felt older than the world.

A half-beast merchant dropped to his knees without realizing it.A slave girl clutched her master's robe and forgot to breathe.Even the ruling prisoners stiffened, pupils shrinking.

None of them knew who these beings were.

They only knew what they were not.

Not human.Not beasts.Not cultivators.

Gods.

Kiaria walked in mid-air forward.

Each step emanated ripples of waves softly across the fortress.

Disciples followed behind him like shadows cast by divinity.

Inside the Yaksha Ring, the Queen stirred.

Kiaria's voice entered her mind.

"Yaksha Queen. Use only Beast God pressure. No spiritual energy. Hide your breath. Hide your origin.""Release it when my foot touches the ground. Withdraw it when I lift it."

The Queen obeyed.

Kiaria lowered his foot.

The instant his sole touched stone–

The world collapsed.

Invisible pressure detonated outward from his body, flooding the entire market zone like a crushing ocean.Bodies were slammed into the ground as if swatted by an unseen hand.

Merchants, prisoners, guards, slaves–everyone.

Bones cracked.Teeth bit into tongues.Eyes bulged.

No one could scream.

No one could moan.

They lay flattened against stone, lungs refusing to draw breath, muscles locked in paralysis.

Kiaria looked down at them.

His voice descended.

Resonant.Layered.Unmistakably not human.

"How dare you enter our Paradise."

Terror exploded through every mind.

Paradise.

Of Gods.

Their childhood myths aligned with reality in a single instant.

Some tried to speak.

Their mouths opened.

No sound came out.

Kiaria lifted his foot.

The pressure vanished.

Air rushed back into lungs.

People collapsed into coughing fits, sobbing, vomiting, clawing at their throats as if they had just escaped drowning.

Whispers erupted.

"They're real…""Gods… real Gods…""We offended them…""This land… really belongs to them…""We are doomed…"

Several merchants crawled forward and slammed their foreheads into the stone.

Mercy was the only word their minds still remembered.

"Please–please forgive us!""We didn't know!""We were blind!""We will leave! We will leave immediately!"

Some of the ruling prisoners pushed forward too.

But their eyes were not filled with fear.

They were filled with hunger.

A tall man with silk robes dropped to one knee and raised his head just enough to look at Kiaria.

"Great Lord," he said eagerly, voice trembling with excitement."Which God are you? What is your divine name?"

He smiled nervously.

"Can we become your followers?""We can give you everything here. Slaves. Ore. Pills. Women. Beasts."

He gestured wildly.

"All of them will serve you."

More joined him.

"Please accept us!""We have ruled this place faithfully!""We kept it profitable for the Gods without knowing!"

Mu Long stepped forward.

The ground cracked beneath his foot.

He pressed his boot onto the silk-robed merchant's chest.

"How dare you speak my Lord Master's name," Mu Long said coldly."You lowly creature–what makes you think you deserve to address him?"

The man screamed as ribs bent inward.

"Forgive me! Forgive me!""I was wrong! I was wrong!"

Kiaria raised one hand slightly.

"Disciple. Step back."

Mu Long froze.

"My Paradise is for happiness," Kiaria said calmly."Do not stain it with filthy blood."

"Yes, Lord Master," Mu Long replied, stepping away.

Kiaria looked down at the trembling merchant.

"We left this place for a few years," Kiaria said evenly."You will tell me what happened here in our absence."

His gaze sharpened.

"If you lie, I will feed you to my sister's mount."

The merchant began kowtowing violently.

"I–I don't know anything!""I swear!""I'm just a merchant!"

Tears streamed down his face.

"I don't know details! Please!"

Kiaria exhaled softly.

"Then–"

He paused.

"You will plead in the Abyss."

Earth Core Green fire bloomed from nothing.

It wrapped around the merchant's body instantly.

He did not even have time to scream.

His flesh blackened.His bones glowed.His body collapsed into ash in three breaths.

Kiaria had not moved a finger.

The entire market went dead silent.

This was no longer belief.

This was confirmation.

Kiaria turned toward the trembling slaves behind the dead merchant.

"Come here."

They obeyed instantly.

He shifted his gaze to another merchant.

And smiled faintly.

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