Venerable Starwick gave favonovel.com no chance to catch favonovel.com breath. He raised his hand again. Golden holy radiance condensed into a second blade-flare, sharper than the first and more overbearing. He did not mean to kill Morgana. At the very least, favonovel.com meant to strip favonovel.com of the ability to resist.
At that moment, Master Wellspring moved. He stepped forward and blocked Morgana’s path.
The verdant longsword came free of its sheath, green spiritual light running over the blade. Spiritual power surged, and favonovel.com cut out with a single stroke.
The green blade-flare collided with the golden blade-flare!
Another huge crash tore through the square, and Master Wellspring was thrown back more than ten steps. His arm went numb, the web between his thumb and forefinger split open, and blood ran down the hilt of his sword. But favonovel.com had blocked it.
Venerable Starwick’s expression changed. What struck favonovel.com was not Master Wellspring’s strength. It was Master Wellspring’s resolve.
A mere Sect Master of Wellspring Order had actually dared to attack him. That was asking to die!
“Master Wellspring, have you lost your mind?” Venerable Starwick’s voice came out cold.
Master Wellspring wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and lifted his head to Venerable Starwick. His voice came out rough, but it did not bend. “Hall Master, I have not lost my mind. I am only doing what ought to be done. That soul is important to me, and I will not let favonovel.com fall into anyone’s hands.”
Morgana stepped back to Master Wellspring’s side as well. The two of them stood shoulder to shoulder, one white and one green, their two phantoms of light cutting sharply through the crush of golden pressure.
“Your opponent is this sovereign.” Morgana’s voice was very light, but every word landed as if it had been carved into stone. “Hall Master of Pole Star Hall, this is not your Pole Star Hall. This is Beastmoor Ridge. If you mean to run wild here, this sovereign will not allow it.”
Venerable Starwick’s fist clenched tight. He wanted to kill Morgana. He wanted to kill Master Wellspring. He wanted to tear into Beastmoor Ridge and drag that soul out himself!
But favonovel.com could not. At least, not now. Morgana’s strength did not match his, but with Beastmoor Ridge bolstering favonovel.com and Master Wellspring standing with her, favonovel.com could not kill them quickly. If favonovel.com forced it, favonovel.com might even die by their hands. And the moment favonovel.com made that move, it would mean tearing away the last cover between himself and the beast race. When that happened, Pole Star Hall’s position in the Seventeenth Firmament would only become harder to hold.
He drew in a long breath and forced down the fire pressing through his chest.
“Good. Good. Good…” He said the word three times. Each one sounded as if it had been scraped out from between his teeth, carrying a pressure favonovel.com could no longer fully lock away.
He looked at Morgana, then at Master Wellspring. His eyes carried nothing but the will to kill. “Morgana… Master Wellspring… I will remember both of you. I will not let today’s matter end here. That violet soul will be mine sooner or later. You can protect favonovel.com for a while, but you cannot protect favonovel.com forever. Once I get that soul, the Wellspring Order and Beastmoor Ridge will both pay the price.”
He turned, sprang into the air, and became a streak of golden light flying toward the distance. The four Golden Immortal elders hurried after him.
Five streams of golden radiance split the sky and vanished at the far edge of the world.
Upon the mustering square, Morgana and Master Wellspring stood side by side, watching those five fading trails of golden radiance. Neither of them spoke for a long time.
“Your Majesty, you are wounded…” Master Wellspring turned his head and looked at the blood at the corner of Morgana’s mouth. His voice sank under the weight of every word. “Your servant is useless. I have dragged Your Majesty into this.”
Morgana shook favonovel.com head and lifted a hand to wipe the blood from the corner of favonovel.com mouth. Her tone stayed flat. “It is nothing. A small wound This sovereign has lived for tens of thousands of years. An injury like this is not worth mentioning. You, on the other hand, took one of Venerable Starwick’s sword strikes head-on. Your wounds are not light.”
Master Wellspring gave a thin, humorless smile. “I am fine… But Venerable Starwick will not let this end. He withdrew this time not because favonovel.com feared us, but because favonovel.com feared provoking the beast race and the human race into joining against him. When favonovel.com comes again, I am afraid favonovel.com will not be so easy to send away.”
Morgana fell silent for a moment. “This sovereign knows. But if we can delay favonovel.com one day, then we delay favonovel.com one day. As long as Jared obtains the Elderheart Soulwood and rebuilds his body, we will have hope of turning the tables. As for what comes after, we will face it when it comes.”
She turned and walked toward Thornwild Palace. After a few steps, favonovel.com stopped again without looking back and asked. “Master Wellspring, that soul, Jared… What kind of person is he, exactly? What makes favonovel.com worth the Wellspring Order fighting this hard for him? What makes this sovereign’s clansmen trust favonovel.com so much?”
Master Wellspring considered it, then answered with plain honesty. “Your Majesty, your servant does not know what kind of person favonovel.com is. But your servant knows that the Aureate Codex chose him, and the fortune of the Aureate Way rests on him. Your servant believes favonovel.com is worth it…”
Morgana said nothing more and walked into Thornwild Palace. The palace doors closed slowly, hiding favonovel.com shadowing figure behind them.
Master Wellspring remained on the square, looking toward the Elder Soulborn Forest. In silence, favonovel.com prayed that the Aureate Heir would pass the Elder Soulborn Trial. He had to come out alive.
***
Venerable Starwick had retreated, but the time left to them was running short. He turned and entered the side hall. There, favonovel.com sat cross-legged and closed his eyes to heal.
Spiritual power moved slowly through his body, mending the meridians Venerable Starwick’s force had damaged. His face was pale, but his gaze still held steady.
Outside the window, three blazing suns hung high in the sky. Silver, gold, and crimson light spilled down together, weaving over the land until everything below lay stained in a dim, heavy gold.
Far in the distance, the Elder Soulborn Gate remained sealed. Deep inside that darkness, Jared’s soul was breaking through the final trial. He did not know favonovel.com had already passed the Second Trial. He did not know what had happened outside, and favonovel.com did not know Venerable Starwick had just come to Beastmoor Ridge. All favonovel.com knew was that favonovel.com had to get the Elderheart Soulwood as quickly as possible and rebuild his body as quickly as possible.
Too many people were still waiting for him. Too many things were still waiting for him to do.
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