Li Yu smiled brightly and waved his hand, dismissing the formality. “I just thought you needed a nap, Muten. You were far too tense for your own good.”

Before Muten could formulate a proper response Elder Jaro and Elder Torin stepped forward. Their expressions were incredibly serious and carried the heavy weight of clan authority.

“There is a change of plans. The academy can wait.” Elder Jaro announced as his rough voice cut through the quiet clearing. “We need to change our course immediately. We are heading back to the clan. The Patriarch needs to see the staff with his own eyes.”

Muten frowned slightly. He was perfectly fine with skipping the academy but he did not understand the sudden urgency of the elders.

“Why do we all need to return?” Muten asked, looking between the two ancient guardians. “Why do you not just take the staff to my father yourselves? Li Yu is a reasonable person. Given the circumstances he would probably loan it to you for a few days.”

Elder Torin cleared his throat awkwardly. A faint blush of embarrassment colored his weathered cheeks.

“We cannot lift it young master.” Elder Torin admitted softly.

Muten blinked in surprise. He looked at the two powerful elders and then looked over at Li Yu.

“You cannot lift it?” Muten repeated his voice laced with confusion. “I caught it easily. I held it in my own hands. It was heavy but it was certainly not immovable.”

Elder Jaro and Elder Torin exchanged a highly meaningful look. The fact that Muten could hold the weapon while they could not completely confirmed their suspicions. The staff possessed a supreme foundational weight that actively rejected anyone who did not share a specific direct bloodline resonance.

“That is exactly why it is so important,” Elder Torin explained seriously. “If you can carry it and we cannot, then it is tied to the core lineage of our ancestors. Either way, since you are the only one who can carry it besides our guest, we are all heading back to the clan. This matter is far more important than any academy.”

Muten nodded and accepted the decision. He turned to Zarek and the rest of his entourage.

“Take the carriage and continue to the academy city.” Muten ordered as his tone returned to its usual commanding edge. “Establish our residence there and wait for my arrival. I will join you once this clan business is concluded.”

Zarek bowed deeply and accepted the command without a single question. They gathered their things and resumed their march down the dirt road, leaving the young master behind with his elders and the two strangers.

Elder Torin stepped forward and raised his hands. He channeled his immense Void Qi and grabbed the very fabric of space. With a violent tearing motion, he ripped open a stable dark portal that led directly back to their home territory.

Li Yu and Garrick followed Muten and the two elders through the spatial tunnel. The transition was smooth and instantaneous. When Li Yu stepped out of the portal, his breath was completely taken away by the sight before him.

They had arrived at the Void Shell Citadel.

It was a colossal armored fortress floating majestically in the sky. The entire structure was carved directly from the petrified carapace of an ancient and massive crab. The architecture was both terrifying and beautiful. Jagged dark metallic spires reached toward the heavens and perfectly resembled giant crushing pincers.

The outer walls were formed by interlocking chitinous gates that pulsed with defensive arrays. Massive courtyards and training grounds were built directly over swirling pools of raw purple void energy that provided both light and power to the floating city. The ambient spiritual energy here was so dense it felt like walking underwater.

Li Yu looked around in awe and was entirely mesmerized by the ancient oceanic and void themes blending together flawlessly. Garrick stood quietly behind him, his sharp eyes scanning the incredible defenses of the stronghold. All of this made him think of a person but he was wondering why that person appeared in his mind just now.

Elder Jaro and Elder Torin led the group through the sprawling corridors heading directly toward the central palace. They arrived at the main grand hall. The heavy doors swung open revealing a massive chamber that was illuminated by floating orbs of purple light. Sitting at the far end of the hall and behind a large desk carved from dark stone was Patriarch Karkin.

Karkin was an imposing figure. He looked like an older and vastly more hardened version of Muten. His dark robes commanded absolute respect and his eyes carried the immense burden of ruling one of the most powerful factions in the realm.

Karkin’s appearance instantly triggered an image in Li Yu’s mind. It was the image of Khaos. The resemblance was striking. This further added to Li Yu’s theory that Khaos was from a branch family of this clan that was separated at some time. Or perhaps he was a lost member of the direct family.

Karkin looked up from his scrolls and was surprised upon seeing his son. They had returned in such a hurry that they did not send word ahead of time to the Patriarch.

“Muten,” Karkin said while setting his brush down. His voice echoed with deep authority. “You are back already. I know you think the academy is a complete waste of your valuable time but it will be incredibly good for you.”

Karkin stood up and walked around the desk.

“You need to meet and gain connections with the powerful heirs of other clans and sects.” Karkin lectured, his tone strict and uncompromising. “You also need to spend more time with your chosen wife.”

The mention of his chosen wife was a massive sore subject for Muten. The young prodigy’s calm demeanor vanished instantly.

“I do not want to be with her.” Muten argued back immediately and his voice rose with defiance. “I have told you this countless times father. I want to be with someone else.”

Karkin sighed while heavily rubbing the bridge of his nose. He had this exact argument with his son a hundred times.

“It is for the absolute interest of the clan,” Karkin stated firmly and was unwilling to yield. “The political alliance is vital for our future security. You can take that other girl as a concubine if you must have her near you. But your official wife must be the one we have chosen.”

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It was entirely clear that Karkin knew exactly who Muten was talking about.

“I refuse,” Muten declared, his dark eyes burning with stubborn resolve. “I will become so powerful that I will not need any political connections or alliances to improve the clan. I will raise the Void Shell Citadel to the absolute pinnacle of the cosmos with my own two hands.”

Karkin looked at his son with a mixture of pride and frustration. His son was his greatest pride but also his greatest headache.

“When that happens then we can talk.” Karkin replied dismissively. “But right now you are just a Paragon. You are a genius within the same realm but you are not invincible everywhere you go.”

Muten did not say another word. He simply closed his eyes and flared his aura.

The dark purple Void Qi erupted from his body but it was completely different from before. It was impossibly dense, perfectly refined and carried the heavy weight of his recent enlightenment. The ambient space in the grand hall warped and bent under the sheer pressure of his foundation.

Karkin took a step backward, his eyes widening slightly. He felt the massive leap in his son’s power. Muten had gotten unthinkably strong in such a short amount of time.

“You achieved enlightenment…” Karkin noted as his voice dropped to a whisper. He regained his composure quickly. “That is incredible progress, Muten. But you should know that even this is still not enough to stand alone against the rest of the realm.”

“Of course I know that.” Muten said, reigning his aura back in with flawless control. “I just wanted to show you that this is merely the beginning of my true climb.”

While the father and son had their intense standoff, Elder Jaro and Elder Torin quietly stepped forward. They approached Patriarch Karkin and began to whisper rapidly into his ear. They were clearly explaining everything that had happened on the dirt road. They detailed the spar, the nap, the enlightenment and the staff.

Karkin’s expression shifted from strict authority to astonishment. He looked past Muten and stared directly at Li Yu and Garrick who were waiting near the entrance of the hall.

“Summon the young man forward,” Karkin instructed while waving his hand.

Garrick remained near the doors and was standing like an imposing metallic statue. Li Yu walked forward and entered the center of the room. It was now just Patriarch Karkin, Muten Elder Jaro Elder Torin and Li Yu standing together in the quiet hall.

Karkin looked at Li Yu with intense curiosity. “My elders tell me you possess a weapon of unimaginable origin. Can you take it out?”

Li Yu nodded politely. He reached into his Koi Sanctuary and summoned the heavy dark staff.

The moment Star Crusher materialized, the ancient void energy washed over the room. Karkin stared at the weapon and was completely stunned. He was absolutely mesmerized by it. He slowly walked forward and was unable to take his eyes off the staff.

“This is…” Karkin started his voice trembling slightly. He looked up at Li Yu. “I know this is an incredibly ridiculous request to make of a guest. But could I possibly have some time alone to study this weapon?”

To Karkin’s surprise Li Yu did not hesitate.

“Of course you can,” Li Yu accepted with a bright and easygoing smile.

Muten stood to the side and was not surprised in the least. He had spent the last two days watching Li Yu drag an elite entourage around to look at old rocks and eat street food. He saw Li Yu as a very happy go lucky person who did not cling to material possessions with the same paranoid grip as most cultivators.

But Li Yu was also not stupid. He had a very clear internal logic for agreeing so easily. These people were way stronger than him. If they truly wanted the staff they could have simply killed him and robbed him on the dirt road. But they did not. They were incredibly respectful about it. Furthermore his teacher Khaos had never once told him he could not allow others to see the weapon. The fact that the man before him looked so much like Khaos also made the decision much easier.

Li Yu just thought the staff was a really tough and heavy weapon. He had absolutely no idea that these people were viewing it as a supreme sacred object tied directly to their own bloodline. Li Yu casually held the staff out toward Karkin.

Karkin reached out with both hands to take it.

“Be careful Patriarch!” Elder Jaro and Elder Torin yelled simultaneously but didn’t go forward to try to help him lift it.

But Karkin took the staff without a single issue. His arms did not buckle. The weapon did not plummet toward the floor. It rested comfortably and perfectly in his grip, responding to his bloodline just as it had responded to Muten.

Karkin looked at his two guardian elders in complete confusion. “Why did you yell?”

“We could not lift it,” Torin explained while looking at the staff again. “It was entirely immovable to us.”

Karkin let out a loud booming laugh that echoed through the grand hall. He looked at the strongest guardian elder and smiled.

“You are not that much weaker than me, Torin.” Karkin joked, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “Why can you not lift it? I think I will need to put you on a much more grueling physical training routine starting tomorrow.”

Elder Torin bowed his head in embarrassment while Li Yu chuckled softly.

“You have done our clan an immeasurable service today, young traveler.” Karkin said as he looked back at Li Yu. “You are officially a guest of honor in the Void Shell Citadel. Muten please escort our guest out and show him around the fortress. Ensure he has everything he desires.”

Muten nodded obediently. He gestured for Li Yu and Garrick to follow him, leaving his father alone in the grand hall with the sacred weapon. Once the heavy doors closed Patriarch Karkin dismissed his two elders. He turned and carried Star Crusher deep into his most private chamber located at the very heart of the ancient crab fortress.

The private chamber was heavily shielded by countless defensive arrays and silencing formations. Karkin set the heavy dark staff down horizontally on a smooth jade table. He stood over it and was marveling at the sheer density and perfection of the material.

Wanting to understand its internal structure Karkin reached out and channeled his own refined Void Qi directly into the staff.

The reaction was instantaneous and explosive.

Star Crusher glowed with a blinding brilliant purple light. A focused beam of pure energy shot directly from the staff and struck Karkin in the chest. Karkin stumbled backward and was completely caught off guard by the sudden reaction.

But it was not an attack.

Karkin felt the overwhelming aura washing over his senses. It was absolutely unmistakable. It was the exact same signature as his son Khaos. But the aura was unimaginably vast, ancient and terrifyingly powerful. It felt like standing before a titan who had conquered the very fabric of reality. It was a power far beyond the Paragon realm, far beyond anything Karkin had ever experienced in his entire life.

Then a voice echoed clearly within the quiet private chamber.

“Is this strong enough now, old man?”

The voice was followed by a deep, roaring laughter that shook the very walls of the room. It was cocky, arrogant and filled with supreme confidence.

Karkin stood frozen in place. His face was a mask of stunned disbelief. He recognized the voice, the tone. He recognized the stubborn arrogance. It was his son but older and vastly more powerful. He was speaking to him from an impossible place.

The laughter slowly faded and the voice softened, carrying a profound heavy weight of ancient sorrow, gratitude and deep sincerity.

“I love you father.”

The voice echoed gently through the private chamber, carrying the vulnerable truth of a son who had spent thousands of years regretting his silence.

“I know I did not say that enough during this time…”

The rest of the message played out in the quiet room. It was delivering truths and closure that bridged the impossible gap of time and space. Karkin stood perfectly still while listening to the voice of the man his rebellious son would eventually become.

The strict and imposing Patriarch of the Void Shell Citadel slowly fell to his knees. His face grew more and more surprised with every word spoken by the weapon. The heavy burdens of his leadership melted away as his eyes watered and warm tears spilled silently down his weathered cheeks.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep