BOOM!
The entrance to the residence was violently blasted open.
More than a dozen warriors wearing completely different uniforms rushed inside.
Judging from their equipment and auras, they belonged to at least three different factions.
The leader of the first group was a middle-aged man wearing black battle armor.
The insignia on his chest identified him as a high-ranking officer of the Shadow Blade Legion, one of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire's elite forces.
Five soldiers in identical black armor followed behind him.
Every one of them possessed strength at or above the Stellar Grade, Eighth Rank.
The second group was led by a female warrior wearing a long robe decorated with lightning patterns.
She appeared to be a member of the Thunder Legion of the Qian Wu Empire.
There were four people in her group, and their strength was equally impressive.
However, what surprised Rowan and Silvermoon the most was the third group.
They were a group of warriors wearing silver uniforms.
The insignia on their chests clearly showed that they belonged to the Special Operations Department of the Virtual Universe Company.
The moment she saw the company's insignia, Silvermoon felt her heart tighten.
As mediation officers of the Virtual Universe Company, she and Rowan should have been colleagues with these people.
But under the current circumstances, they absolutely could not reveal their true identities.
"The inheritance."
The officer of the Shadow Blade Legion stared fixedly at Rowan.
A greedy light flickered in his eyes.
"I can sense the aura of Storm King Severus's inheritance. Who would have thought that a mere Stellar Grade warrior would obtain the inheritance of a King-Level Immortal?"
"Hand over the inheritance, and we can give you a quick death," the female warrior from the Thunder Legion said coldly.
"Otherwise, we will show you exactly what it means to wish for death."
The captain of the Virtual Universe Company team showed no friendliness either.
He coldly swept his gaze over Rowan and Silvermoon as if assessing their value.
"Two ordinary explorers actually managed to obtain such a precious inheritance."
The captain, Karl Stone, sneered.
"It seems luck is sometimes more important than strength. But once your luck runs out, you should hand over what does not belong to you."
Hearing those words, Silvermoon secretly smiled bitterly.
Karl was also a member of the Virtual Universe Company, yet he was still attempting to seize the inheritance.
It seemed that when faced with enormous benefits, even the relationship between colleagues could become meaningless.
"Everyone."
Rowan attempted to resolve the conflict through dialogue.
"There may be a misunderstanding here. I did obtain Storm King Severus's inheritance, but I acquired it through legitimate means."
"Legitimate means?"
The officer of the Shadow Blade Legion, Mordred, sneered.
"In a place like this, strength is the only legitimacy that matters. Since you do not possess the strength to protect the inheritance, you should hand it over to someone stronger."
"Mordred is right."
Karl nodded in agreement.
"Although the Virtual Universe Company does not encourage plundering, in a place without supervision, it is only natural for the strong to obtain valuable resources."
"I agree as well."
The female warrior from the Thunder Legion, Natasha, nodded.
"The inheritance should belong to the strongest."
At that moment, Rowan understood everything.
These people did not care how he had obtained the inheritance.
They only wanted to seize it for themselves.
When faced with enormous benefits, morality and laws often became nothing more than empty words.
What concerned Rowan even more was that even members of the Virtual Universe Company were participating in the attempt to seize the inheritance.
That proved just how valuable the inheritance truly was.
Its value was enough to make people abandon their principles and their bottom lines.
"Silvermoon, prepare for battle."
Rowan lowered his voice.
"It seems talking is useless."
"Understood."
Silvermoon nodded.
At the same time, she began gathering her Law power.
She knew that she absolutely could not reveal that she was a member of the company.
For now, she could only fight as an ordinary explorer.
Natasha was the first to lose patience.
She suddenly raised her hand.
A massive bolt of lightning instantly descended toward Rowan.
"Thunder God's Wrath."
Her voice was cold.
The power of the lightning was terrifying.
Even a Ninth Rank Stellar Grade warrior would suffer serious injuries if struck directly.
However, Rowan was no longer an ordinary Sixth Rank Stellar Grade warrior.
The inheritance of Storm King Severus had caused a qualitative transformation in his strength.
"Storm Shield."
Rowan calmly released his defensive technique.
A transparent energy barrier appeared in front of him.
The lightning struck the barrier.
After creating a few sparks, it completely dissipated.
The ease with which Rowan blocked the attack shocked everyone present.
"How is that possible?"
Natasha's eyes widened.
"You are clearly only a Sixth Rank Stellar Grade warrior. How could you block my attack so easily?"
"The power of the inheritance."
Mordred narrowed his eyes.
"It seems this inheritance is even more valuable than we imagined."
"Interesting."
Karl's expression became even greedier.
"A Sixth Rank Stellar Grade warrior can actually block an attack from an Eighth Rank Stellar Grade warrior. This inheritance is definitely worth fighting for."
Rowan did not answer.
Instead, he launched a counterattack.
His body moved like the wind.
In an instant, he appeared directly in front of Natasha.
"Wind Blade Slash!"
Rowan swung his hand.
A razor-sharp blade of wind tore through the air.
The power of the attack far exceeded that of an ordinary wind-based technique.
It contained Storm King Severus's profound understanding of the Laws of Storms.
Natasha hurriedly raised her weapon to block.
Even so, the terrifying impact sent her flying several meters backward.
"All of you, attack together!"
Mordred shouted.
"Do not give him a chance!"
In an instant, more than a dozen warriors simultaneously launched attacks at Rowan and Silvermoon.
Law attacks of various colors intertwined in the air.
The entire residence was engulfed by powerful energy fluctuations.
Silvermoon was also forced to reveal part of her true strength.
Her control over the Laws of Water was extraordinarily precise.
Countless blades of water danced through the air.
Every single one accurately intercepted an incoming attack.
"Water Dragon's Roar!"
Silvermoon released one of her powerful techniques.
A massive water dragon rose behind her.
It roared as it charged toward the soldiers of the Shadow Blade Legion.
The water dragon possessed tremendous impact force.
At the same time, it could control the movements of its enemies, trapping them within its surging currents.
"This woman's strength is not ordinary either."
Karl watched Silvermoon carefully.
"It seems we underestimated these two."
Indeed, the strength Silvermoon displayed clearly exceeded the limits of an ordinary explorer.
Although she tried desperately to conceal her true abilities, her extraordinary mastery of the Laws still revealed that she was far from ordinary.
However, the enemy possessed a clear numerical advantage.
Even with the strength of Rowan and Silvermoon, facing more than a dozen powerful warriors at once was extremely dangerous.
"Shadow Blade Assault!"
Mordred unleashed one of the secret techniques of the Shadow Blade Legion.
His figure suddenly split into several afterimages.
Each afterimage attacked in a different direction.
This style of attack was extremely difficult to defend against.
It was almost impossible to determine which figure was the real one.
However, through the inheritance of Storm King Severus, Rowan had gained a profound understanding of the Laws of Space.
He could sense the subtle fluctuations in space.
The location of the true body was immediately revealed to him.
"Spatial Storm."
Rowan released an area-of-effect attack.
Centered around him, space began to twist violently.
A small spatial storm rapidly formed.
All of the afterimages were torn apart by the storm.
Only Mordred's true body was forced to reveal itself.
"Damn it!"
Mordred's face turned pale.
"How could you possibly understand the Laws of Space?"
The Laws of Space were among the most difficult advanced Laws to master.
Usually, only World Master-level warriors and above could use them with any degree of proficiency.
How could a warrior who appeared to be merely Sixth Rank Stellar Grade possess such profound mastery?
"This is the power of a King-Level Immortal's inheritance."
Rowan's voice remained calm.
"You will never understand the realm of a true powerhouse."
Seeing Mordred in such a miserable state, Karl decided to use special equipment from the Virtual Universe Company.
He pulled a sophisticated energy emitter from his waist.
It was one of the company's newest weapons.
"Void Annihilation Cannon."
Karl's voice was cold.
"This weapon was specifically designed to deal with high-level warriors. Even a World Master must treat it with caution."
The energy emitter began charging.
A terrifying pressure spread through the residence.
Silvermoon immediately became anxious when she saw the weapon.
She knew exactly how powerful the Void Annihilation Cannon was.
It was one of the Virtual Universe Company's classified weapons.
Its destructive power was truly terrifying.
However, she could not reveal her identity.
She could only find a way to stop Karl's attack.
"Ice Wall Technique!"
Silvermoon released a large-scale defensive skill.
A thick wall of ice rose in front of Rowan.
But the power of the Void Annihilation Cannon far exceeded that of an ordinary attack.
The energy beam easily pierced through the ice wall.
It continued directly toward Rowan.
Seeing the terrifying attack approaching, Rowan decided to reveal the true power of Storm King Severus's inheritance.
"Spacetime Storm!"
Rowan unleashed one of the strongest techniques he had learned from the inheritance.
In an instant, the energy beam from the Void Annihilation Cannon was drawn into the spacetime storm.
The distortion of time and space caused the attack to completely lose its direction.
In the end, it vanished into the void.
"Spacetime Laws?"
Karl's eyes widened in disbelief.
"You actually understand the Spacetime Laws?"
The Spacetime Laws were among the most profound powers in existence.
Even within the Virtual Universe Company, the number of experts capable of mastering them could be counted on one hand.
How could an ordinary explorer possess such terrifying abilities?
"It seems we all underestimated the value of this inheritance."
Natasha's eyes shone with even greater greed.
"If we can obtain this inheritance, our strength will undergo a qualitative transformation."
"We must obtain the inheritance at any cost."
Mordred made his decision.
The three factions began using even more dangerous methods of attack.
The soldiers of the Shadow Blade Legion began burning their life force.
The Thunder Legion used a combined secret technique.
Even the members of the Virtual Universe Company began taking out increasingly advanced technological weapons.
"Life Burning, Shadow Blade Dance!"
The five soldiers simultaneously activated a forbidden technique.
"Thunder God's Judgment Formation!"
The four members of the Thunder Legion joined forces and unleashed a massive formation.
"Quantum Decomposition Weapon, activate!"
The members of the Virtual Universe Company took out even more advanced equipment.
Faced with such a dense barrage of attacks, both Rowan and Silvermoon felt tremendous pressure.
But there was no longer any room to retreat.
They could only fight with everything they had.
Silvermoon stopped hiding her strength.
She finally revealed the true power of a World Master-level warrior.
"Absolute Zero Domain!"
Silvermoon released her Domain technique.
The entire residence instantly transformed into a frozen world.
The temperature plummeted toward absolute zero.
Most of the incoming attacks froze the moment they entered the Domain.
Their power was drastically weakened.
"World Master?"
Karl stared at Silvermoon in shock.
"Who exactly are you two?"
There was no longer any point in hiding their identities.
Facing a crisis of life and death, Silvermoon had no choice but to use her full strength.
"Frozen Thousand Miles!"
Silvermoon continued releasing her powerful technique.
An even more terrifying wave of cold swept through the entire residence.
Everyone except Rowan was frozen within solid ice.
Even the high-tech weapons in Karl's hands malfunctioned under the extreme cold.
But the battle was not over yet.
Rowan decided to finish the enemies once and for all.
"Cosmic Storm, Ultimate Form!"
Rowan unleashed the most powerful technique contained within Storm King Severus's inheritance.
A miniature cosmic storm formed inside the residence.
Within it was a perfect fusion of multiple Laws, including wind, lightning, space, and time.
Its power had already surpassed the World Master level.
It was approaching the level of an Immortal's attack.
The frozen enemies were swept into the cosmic storm.
The solid ice surrounding them was annihilated along with their bodies.
Even powerful warriors such as Mordred, Natasha, and Karl were unable to survive such a terrifying attack.
The battle was over.
The residence slowly returned to silence.
Apart from Rowan and Silvermoon, not a single living being remained.
"It is over."
Silvermoon let out a long breath.
Her expression was somewhat complicated.
"I never expected that even people from the company would..."
"When absolute利益 is involved, any relationship can fall apart."
Rowan's voice remained calm.
"That is the cruel reality of this universe."
Although killing members of their own company left an unpleasant feeling, they had possessed no other choice when faced with a life-or-death situation.
Furthermore, Karl and the others had already violated the company's fundamental principles.
Their deaths were the consequences of their own choices.
"What do we do now?" Silvermoon asked.
"Leave."
Rowan looked at the residence, which had been destroyed beyond recognition.
"We have already obtained the information we needed. Now, it is time to complete the real mission."
After leaving the Storm Temple, Rowan and Silvermoon did not immediately return to Reno Port.
According to the information left behind by Storm King Severus, they could now be almost certain that the conflict between the two empires was not accidental.
If servants of the Dark Lord were truly manipulating events from behind the scenes, then they had to find evidence.
"Where do we start investigating?" Silvermoon asked Rowan.
"We start with the most basic question."
Rowan thought for a moment.
"Why did the two great empires clash over Storm King Severus's inheritance at this particular moment?"
"Under normal circumstances, although the inheritance of a King-Level Immortal is extremely valuable, it should not be enough to make two powerful empires confront each other directly."
Indeed, both the Black Dragon Mountain Empire and the Qian Wu Empire possessed powerful King-Level Immortal experts.
Although Storm King Severus's inheritance was extremely valuable, it should not have been enough to make two great empires fight over it at any cost.
"And the timing is suspicious as well," Silvermoon added.
"The legend of Storm King Severus has existed for thousands of years. Why has it suddenly caused such an intense struggle now?"
"That is the key."
Rowan nodded.
"Someone must have deliberately spread certain information, causing both empires to believe that this particular inheritance was far more important than it appeared."
The two of them decided to return to Reno Port and begin their investigation from the source.
As the starting point of the entire incident, Reno Port undoubtedly concealed important clues.
Using the teleportation system of the Storm Temple, they quickly returned to the waters surrounding Reno Port.
But the scene before them left both Rowan and Silvermoon completely stunned.
The entire region had changed.
The once-busy waters around Reno Port were now filled with countless warships.
Massive energy fluctuations spread across the sea.
The flags of the two great empires could be seen everywhere.
But they were not the only ones present.
Numerous unfamiliar fleets had also gathered around Reno Port.
The sky was filled with energy weapons.
The ocean was covered with warships.
And at the center of the entire region, a massive energy barrier had sealed off the port.
"Things have gotten much worse than we expected."
Silvermoon stared at the scene before them.
Rowan's expression became solemn.
The conflict had clearly escalated far beyond a simple struggle over Storm King Severus's inheritance.
The entire Reno Port had become the center of a massive confrontation.
And somewhere within this chaos, the true mastermind was still hiding.
The moment Rowan appeared, the aura of Storm King Severus's inheritance immediately spread through the surrounding space.
Countless powerful auras instantly locked onto him.
The atmosphere around the entire sea suddenly became deadly.
Rowan narrowed his eyes.
"It seems they already know."
Silvermoon slowly tightened her fists.
"Then what do we do?"
Rowan looked toward the distant port.
A storm was gathering over Reno Port.
But this time, it was not a natural storm.
It was a storm created by the ambitions of countless powerful beings.
And somewhere behind it all, an unseen hand was still pulling the strings.
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