The first thing Jalen noticed had changed was the qi bombs he had placed upon peak Sage experts, the slave pacts that bound nobles to Emperor Ameer, and the Ron state benefit—all were gone. Dispelled. Broken. Freed. He had known this was possible and had feared it even as he set those shackles, but at the time there had been no other choice. The Ron State had been fragile, its emperor young and powerless, its enemies circling. To protect Ameer, Jalen had forced loyalty through chains. Now those chains had been shattered, and the backlash had fallen upon the boy he had sworn to protect.
Through the tether of spirit sense he had placed upon Ameer, Jalen finally felt the truth. The boy was alive, but barely. His vessel was battered, his spirit sea fractured, his breath shallow. Severe injury clung to him like frost. That was all Jalen could confirm directly. The rest was deduction. The nobles, freed from slavery, must have turned their vengeance upon the young emperor. Yet the fact that Ameer still lived meant maybe not all had betrayed him. Maybe some had resisted. Some had endured. Or perhaps he was simply incredibly lucky.
Oh, as for the shadow clone Jalen had left behind, it had dissipated long ago, vanishing days after his departure to the River Beneath Time—or rather, after his first battle with Ian that left him drained. Since then, he had been blind to the real world's events. Now, as his spirit sense re‑anchored to the continent, he pieced together fragments of truth. The Ron State was fractured. The emperor was hidden. And enemies had grown bold.
Jalen did not hesitate. He found a safe place for Calen, Jael, and Vinh—a secluded valley inside the Wren state, securing it with formations—where they could remain undisturbed before vanishing.
Flash Reverse.
He did not head for Alina, the capital city of the Ron State, but for Aya—a smaller city near the Ron State's eastern borders. There, deep in the forests beyond Aya, his spirit sense caught the faint resonance of Ameer's presence. It pulsed weakly, buried beneath layers of frost and pain, but it was enough. Jalen descended, his aura folding into silence, slipping past rivers and trees until he reached an underground cave.
The cave was hidden, its entrance veiled by formations strong enough to repel even a Sky Limit Realm expert, even if for a few seconds. But Jalen was beyond such limits. His aura bent the formation's angles, slipping past without alerting its guardians courtesy of his Spirit Wind Art first technique: breath like dust. Within, he found what he sought.
Ameer lay unconscious upon a spirit cushion bed infused with healing energy, his body frail, his breath shallow. Around him stood six figures—Will, Raye, Elias, Lionel, Tobias, and Latia. The royal guards Jalen had appointed years ago. They had been his chosen protectors for the emperor, bound by loyalty and fear. Now they stood vigilant, their auras sharp, their eyes weary.
Jalen's voice cut through the silence. "How long has he been like this?"
The six cultivators sprang to action, weapons raised, qi flaring. But when they saw him, their expressions shifted from hostility to shock. He had approached without sound, without warning. None of them had sensed him until he spoke. Their minds raced, their conclusions inevitable: Jalen had reached the Sky Limit Realm. It had been over four years since they last saw him, and in that time he had changed beyond recognition. Even if he had been in a time realm, such progress was impossible. Yet here he stood, sovereign and unyielding. Little did they know, he had surpassed even that realm.
Will stepped forward, his voice steady despite his awe. "He has been like this for six months."
Jalen moved to the spirit bed, his gaze steady upon Ameer's frail form. He raised his hand, and Flare of Recursion unfolded. Light bloomed across the boy's body, burning gently yet inexorably. Spirit threads rewound, meridians stitched, and qi fragmentation realigned.
The six guards watched in silence, their eyes wide with amazement. They had seen healers and seen techniques, but never such sovereign restoration.
When he finished, Jalen turned to them. "Tell me what happened."
Will spoke, his voice heavy.
"While you were gone, the Ron State seemed stable. The capital ran smoothly, the nobles obeyed, and the emperor ruled. But beneath the surface, enemies moved. Tulsa, Tibet, and Yellen conspired together. They bribed Sage Realm experts and helped them break the shackles you placed upon them. Freed from your chains, these men turned against us. They infiltrated the Ron State little by little, freeing others or killing them. By the time the royal capital realized, it was too late. Most of the powerhouses had either switched sides or been slain."
Jalen's gaze hardened.
"Why did you six decide to stay?"
Will's words carried a quiet gravity.
"We were tempted too. As you already noticed, our qi bombs and slave pacts were stripped away. We could have joined the others. But we chose to remain out of loyalty."
"Is that so?"
The silence that followed was heavier than iron. They had stayed partly out of fear—fear of Jalen, breaker of kingdoms and slayer of emperors—and partly because Ameer, last of the royal bloodline of Ron, still lived. That fragile thread of dynasty had bound them when freedom beckoned.
Now, with Jalen standing before them, their choice felt vindicated. What had once been survival disguised as loyalty revealed itself as loyalty disguised as fate.
"Yes," Will stuttered.
Jalen's voice was steady and cold.
"So you are saying these three states are now in control of the Ron State?"
Will nodded. "Yes. The land has been split into three parts. Each now harbors half‑step Transcendents. Yellen alone commands six. We cannot say how many the others hold, but they have them. Since then, they have bullied the continent. Even Litha and Rican, once proud, have bent beneath their pressure."
Silence followed, heavy as stone.
Jalen's gaze softened as it fell upon the six guards. "You have done well to remain loyal."
They bowed deeply. "Of course. We would never dare betray our emperor."
Jalen's voice sharpened, cutting through the chamber. "You are royal guards. You bow only to the emperor."
Will straightened, his expression firm. "Of course."
The others shifted uneasily, their loyalty mingled with fear. Jalen's aura pressed upon them, reminding them of their place. They were not his servants. They were Ameer's protectors. Their loyalty must remain with the emperor, not with him.
Jalen raised his hand, and six treasures appeared—spirit artifacts he had gathered during his hundreds of years of adventure in the realm beneath the River. Each treasure resonated with unique qi, aligned to the guards' affinities. He gave them one each. The guards accepted with gratitude, their eyes wide, their voices trembling with thanks. They did not hide their joy. They knew the value of such gifts. They knew the weight of his favor.
When the gifts were given, Jalen's voice was steady. "Leave me. I wish to be alone with the emperor."
The six nodded, their respect absolute. They withdrew, their footsteps fading into silence. Jalen remained, his gaze upon Ameer. The boy's breath was steady now, his spirit stable, and his body healed. Yet he was still frail, his essence scarred. Jalen's heart ached. He made the kid go through hell.
Jalen's voice was low and resolute. "You are alive, Ameer. That is enough. I will restore you. I will restore this state. And those who betrayed you will pay. But right now I need to make you stronger. Also, this is going to hurt, so please don't give in to the pain."
Jalen reached into his pocket world, retrieving two treasures he had saved across his journeys. The first was a vial of Spirit Essence, a liquid distilled from pure metal qi, its resonance sharp enough to cut through mountains. The second was a metal qi spirit life form, a rare entity he had captured in the River Beneath Time, preserved for this very moment. Together, they would reshape Ameer's destiny.