Chapter 2132 2142

Chapter 2132 2142
Liam staggered to his feet, gasping heavily for breath.
Sensing the commotion from atop the rampart, Autumn wasted no time rushing down. Spotting Liam's battered state, she closed the distance without a second thought. Her life-attribute trait instantly enveloped him, bathing him in a soothing green light that rapidly mended his injuries.
Liam fixed his gaze on the Sword-Bearer Elder in the distance.
Feng Lan let out a long, unhurried breath before casually flicking his hand, sending his sword back into its sheath across his back.
He looked entirely unruffled, as if that single sword strike hadn't taken any effort at all. With his right hand casually tucked behind his back, he seemed no different than when he had first arrived.
"As expected of the Dragon Bone's host; you are indeed somewhat stronger than an ordinary, run-of-the-mill Permanent-Tier fighter, but that's about the extent of it," Feng Lan said indifferently. "I keep my word. Since you managed to block that strike of mine, I will no longer interfere in the matter regarding Elena!"
As Autumn's healing energy surged through him, the sharp pain in Liam's body subsided significantly. He looked up at the elder.
A cold jolt of realization ran through him—his ultimate trump card hadn't even managed to inflict a single scratch on Feng Lan!
Was the gap between Permanent-Tier powerhouses really this vast?
One had to remember that Feng Lan hadn't even activated his special trait, and Liam had no idea what fraction of his true power he had actually used. But one thing was clear: a massive gulf still separated him from legendary pinnacle figures like Feng Lan.
And that had been a full-power strike from him!
The memory flashed in his mind of the Drunkard slaughtering Mofu down in the underground palace as if he were butchering mere chickens.
Letting out a long breath, Liam stared at the elder and said, "I'll remember this sword strike."
Feng Lan didn't bother responding. Casting a final glance at Liam, he added, "Kid, I don't care whether you were just playing word games or trying to stall for time. Word of Elena's situation has already spread. I might be stepping aside today, but sooner or later, others from the eight major factions will come looking. A Prophet is something this world will never allow to exist."
"You... won't be able to protect her forever," Feng Lan said softly. "When it comes to the Prophecy Trait, nobody can shield someone from it—not even the Drunkard. In fact, if he ever finds out, he might even take action himself!"
"I've said all I need to say. Consider yourself warned!" With that, Feng Lan showed no intention of lingering.
He turned around, his white robes fluttering as he took a single, effortless step forward, moving away into the distance with an ethereal, unbothered grace.
Watching the elder's retreating figure, Liam silently acknowledged a hard truth: even though he had reached the Permanent-Tier, if he truly wanted to stand at the absolute apex of this world and command real authority, he still had a very, very long road ahead of him.
The Pluto Palace was ultimately bound to return to Earth. If True actually survived, there was no doubt he would be an existence far more terrifying than even Feng Lan or the Drunkard.
What Liam didn't know, however, was that the moment Feng Lan had moved far enough away from the Ancient Clan base, a sudden, violent flush rushed to his pale face, and a thin trail of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.
This brat! He pulled out a pristine white handkerchief and wiped the blood from his lips.
To think he actually possesses the Dragon Bone. Having just broken through to the Permanent-Tier, both his physical body and his internal energy have reached such a monstrous degree, completely eclipsing ordinary Flame Decay masters. I underestimated him; his counter-shock actually injured me. He cursed inwardly, If I had known, I should have used a bit more force.
Frowning, he muttered to himself, "That business with Elena... feels like there's an eight-in-ten chance it's true. Truly fascinating. Rare traits keep popping up in this era. Who knows whether this kid Liam will turn out to be an enemy or an ally in the end? The Law of Rare Trait Convergence sure holds true..."
As he spoke, the handkerchief in his hand inexplicably began to corrode and disintegrate, finally turning into dust and vanishing entirely.
With that, Feng Lan picked up his pace, raising his head as he headed toward the direction of the Hive.
Back at the base, Liam climbed back up to the rampart.
Archie let out a long, heavy sigh of relief.
The Sword-Bearer Elder had finally left!
For some reason, an intuition lingered in his gut telling him that Feng Lan hadn't really come here to investigate Elena in the first place—he seemed to have had some other motive entirely.
He couldn't quite put his finger on what it was, but his instincts were screaming that it was true.
Turning to Liam, Archie fell into a thoughtful silence before saying, "Liam, I think... we need to speed up our search for the Creation Needles. If we can actually find them and help a few more members of our Ancient Clan break through to the Permanent-Tier, we might actually stand a chance of keeping Elena safe!"
Liam offered a faint, tired smile.