The sun of the Azure Vault hung high in the sky, casting a brilliant gold light over the tiered floating islands of the Cloud-Step Academy. It was a day of celebration for some and mundane training for most, but the atmosphere changed the moment a solitary figure appeared at the base of the Great Ascent.
Blake Harrison had returned.
His appearance was a far cry from the clean, disciplined disciple who had left three weeks prior. His leather armor was shredded, his skin was coated in a fine layer of grey necrotic ash, and his eyes—once calm and steady—now burned with a light that caused the surrounding air to warp. As he stepped onto the white marble of the Academy's main thoroughfare, the crowd of disciples involuntarily parted.
A silence, thick and heavy, followed in his wake. Many eyes were fixed on his back, their hearts trembling.
"Is that... Blake?" a disciple whispered, his voice shaking. "The one they sent to the Iron-Gate? How is he still alive?"
Blake ignored the murmurs. He led his presence forward with a cold, unchanging expression. With each step, the earth seemed to tremble, reverberating in the hearts of everyone present. He was heading directly for the Martial Hall, carrying the heavy weight of Silence on his shoulder.
The news of his return spread through the Academy like a wildfire. In less than half an hour, the three top forces—the Shadow-White Sect, the Arcade Drake Sect, and the Numen Star Sect—had already received the report.
In the central plaza of the Martial Hall, a gathering place for the Academy's elite, several powerful figures had already converged. Among them were three peak-level 7th-layer experts who acted as the "Enforcers" of the Three Sects. They had been tasked with ensuring Blake never returned, and seeing him now, their faces became extremely ugly.
"Not only is he not dead, but his strength seems to have become even more terrifying than before," one Enforcer from the Arcade Drake Sect hissed. "I wonder what he has gone through in those three weeks!"
Blake reached the center of the plaza and stopped. He looked at the three Enforcers with a sarcastic expression.
"I have come to report the mission's completion," Blake said, his voice echoing through the vast space. "The Iron-Gate is cleared. The Hive is no more."
"Liar!" a Shadow-White expert roared, stepping forward. "The Hive Elders are peak 7th-layer level entities. A 2nd-layer stray like you couldn't even scratch their armor. You must have fled and hidden like a dog!"
As he spoke, he suddenly stepped towards Blake's location and quickly landed in front of him. A terrifying aura emanated from his body, and a ghostly blade appeared in his hand, threatening to slit Blake's throat in a short time.
Faced with this terrifying attack, Blake seemed completely unconcerned.
The next moment, the crowd heard a terrifying rumbling sound. Blake didn't even draw his scythe; he simply struck out with a single palm print. The palm print was extremely powerful, arriving in an instant.
The two attacks collided, and under the effect of Blake's destructive palm, the Shadow-White expert trembled violently. The force shattered all his muscles and bones, sending him flying across the plaza and killing him instantly upon landing!
Upon witnessing this horrifying scene, many people trembled involuntarily. Their gazes toward Blake revealed intense disbelief. It seems no one expected that Blake would possess such formidable strength.
"He just... he just killed a 7th-layer Enforcer with one hand," a voice cried out in shock.
Blake's expression remained unchanged. Even after easily killing a peak-level expert, he remained completely calm, as if it were all to be as it should be.
"Does anyone else wish to verify my mission?" Blake asked, his pupils flashing with a cold light.
The faces of the remaining experts from the Arcade Drake and Numen Star sects were extremely ugly. A powerful figure from the Arcade Drake Sect spoke up: "Blake has become much stronger than he was before. Let's attack together and stop him! He has murdered a fellow disciple in cold blood!"
Upon hearing this, the crowd froze. They hadn't expected that the top forces would have to attack together to handle a single 2nd-layer youth.
Blake's expression revealed a hint of sarcasm. He continued walking forward calmly toward the Inner Sanctum.
"Buzz, buzz, buzz..."
Figures quickly stepped towards Blake's location. Each of them possessed an extremely powerful aura. Among them were four experts at the peak of the 7th Layer. Their auras erupted, converging in the void, and together they pressed down on Blake's body.
Many people were shaken. Even though they were far apart, they could still feel the pressure.
Jack—no, Blake—however, remained unconcerned. An overwhelming aura of power erupted from his body. This aura was infused with his Void-Refined essence. When it was released, everything in this space seemed to freeze. The auras released by those four people were all frozen in the void, unable to descend upon his body.
This caused the powerful figures to freeze in shock. One of them, a Numen Star expert, seemed impatient and roared, his spear flashing with a murderous light as he thrust it directly towards Blake's chest.
Blake remained unconcerned. Just as the spear was about to land, a cold glint flashed in his pupils. Driven by his will, the intent within his body unleashed a dazzling light. The power of that strike was beyond description, and in a short time, it slashed a deep bloody gash across the throat of that powerful figure!
A streak of blood shot out, and the expert looked at Blake with a face full of resentment. He seemed to never have dreamed he would be killed so easily.
In another location, a tall expert with solid muscles stepped forward. He held a huge bronze hammer, containing extremely powerful physical attributes. With a roar, he slammed it down on Blake's body.
However, Blake remained calmly standing in place. Without any hesitation, he conjured a startled light in the void. The speed was so fast that the expert could not react before the cold light completely disappeared.
The next moment, the expert wielding the bronze hammer suddenly froze. He subconsciously touched his throat, and a trickle of blood seeped out. His gaze toward Blake was filled with endless resentment.
"Why... did you act so quickly?"
"Thump!"
The body of the expert fell straight down and turned into a corpse!
The sound of the body falling sent a shiver down the spines of the onlookers. Not only was Blake's attack power incredibly strong, but his speed was beyond comprehension. Some didn't even know how they died.
Blake continued to walk forward, each step causing the hearts of everyone present to tremble. Those powerful figures from the three sects couldn't help but reveal a hint of apprehension. They were even hesitant to attack him again.
At that moment, the remaining two peak 7th-layer experts exchanged glances and unleashed a surge of violent power, attempting a joint attack. Their attack caused the space to become extremely chaotic, capable of destroying everything!
Blake's eyes flashed. Facing the collective attack of these two warriors, he still did not back down. An astonishing domain power erupted from his body.
The attack instantly enveloped the bodies of the two warriors. Sensing the terrifying power of Blake's domain, their attacks were completely swallowed up. A terrifying cold light suddenly flashed within the domain, constantly tearing and shredding.
"No, we don't want to die..." one cried out in despair.
The next moment, the crowd heard continuous hissing sounds as the two experts were gradually being crushed and swallowed up by the domain power. They turned into puffs of blood mist and dissipated with the wind!
This scene froze everyone present. No one expected that Blake would so easily neutralize the combined attacks and annihilate them.
After the bodies were swallowed, the remaining disciples were so terrified they fled for their lives. Blake, however, did not want to give them any chance. He was not a saint.
"Heavenly Palm Print!" Blake shouted.
Several palm prints solidified in the void, each containing an extremely powerful destructive force, frantically striking down. Amidst the terrifying vibrations, desperate screams echoed. Under Blake's palm strikes, all those who had tried to block his path were killed!
The space returned to calm, the ground littered with severed limbs. The air was thick with the stench of blood.
Blake ignored everything else and directly walked toward the Elder's Council chamber. Many people's eyes were fixed on his back, their hearts still trembling.
"Blake has killed so many here. The three top forces will definitely not let him go. It won't be long before they send even more powerful figures to suppress him!"
Indeed, the news spread so quickly it was astonishing. In less than half an hour, almost everyone in the entire Academy heard about it.
In the gathering place of the Shadow-White Palace, a flustered expert quickly approached Guar, the top prodigy of the sect. Guar had achieved the peak of the 7th Layer and was widely considered the next to enter the 8th Layer.
"What? You're telling me he's back and he's killing Enforcers?" Guar spoke coldly, a dark glint in his eyes. "He's come back just in time. More than three years ago, I regretted not killing him when he was a mere initiate. Now that he's returned, I'll go and take his life personally!"
Guar stood up, his aura erupting with the force of a storm. He was confident enough to easily kill Blake.
Meanwhile, Blake had reached the heavy iron doors of the Elder's Council. He pushed them open with a single hand, the screech of metal on stone echoing like a scream.
Inside, Elder Vane sat with several other high-ranking Masters. Their eyes widened as they saw Blake—ashen, bloodied, but radiating a power that made their own auras flicker.
"The Iron-Gate is clear," Blake repeated, his voice calm and sarcastic. "I believe I am owed a promotion to the Inner Sect."
Vane looked at Blake, a hint of approval flickering in his turbid eyes. He could clearly sense how strong Blake had become. But the other Elders looked horrified.
"You killed our disciples in the plaza!" one Elder screamed. "You are a murderer, a stray who has gone mad!"
Blake looked at the Elder with a sarcastic smile. "They tried to stop a warrior of the Academy from completing his report. In the Iron-Gate, we call that a suicide. If you wish to join them, Elder, you are welcome to try."
The room went silent. The air was thick with the scent of blood and the cold promise of Blake's scythe.
Blake led his presence toward the center of the room, each step causing the hearts of the Elders to tremble. His expression remained unchanged. He had survived the Hive, he had crushed the Wraiths, and now, he stood before the masters of the Vault as their equal, if not their superior.
"I am Blake Harrison," he said, his voice echoing through the halls. "And the era of the Three Sects' arrogance is over."
The entire Academy was in an uproar. His sensational actions continued to reverberate, and everyone knew that a new round of attacks from the three forces was inevitable. But as they looked at the youth standing in the council chamber, they couldn't help but wonder: was there anyone left who could actually stop him?
Blake stood his ground, a cold glint in his pupils, ready to cut down anyone who dared to step forward. The return of the stray was not just a survival story; it was a massacre in the making.