When Richard observed carefully, he could not help but be stunned.

"Ethan..." he said softly.

He really saw him standing atop a tree not far from the pagoda, dressed in a white robe, completely different from the one from before.

How was that possible?

As Richard approached, the man looked toward him.

Shua!

With a single step, he appeared two meters in front of Richard, forcing him to stop.

Richard instantly realized this was a different individual because his aura was completely different.

Moreover, this one felt incredibly powerful.

The man looked at him and smiled.

"So it’s you," he said.

Richard froze for a moment before smiling and pulling back his hood.

This Ethan was even more extraordinary than he had imagined.

If he already possessed power that surpassed a Peak Ruler despite not yet becoming an Ancient Sovereign, then it was not surprising that he could see through the concealment of the robe while standing directly in front of him.

"Do you need something from me?" Richard asked.

The man did not answer and simply continued staring at him.

"You..."

Richard suddenly moved sideways at his highest speed.

A black star appeared where he had been standing.

It neither exploded nor did anything else, but Richard immediately sensed danger from it.

Had he reacted even a little later, it might have trapped him.

"What is the meaning of this?" Richard asked.

"What, boy? Have you never been attacked before?" the man replied.

"Or were you expecting nobody to attack you in a place like this?"

BANG!

The black star appeared again at Richard’s location.

This time, it exploded.

However, the explosion transformed into a black hole that emitted an incredibly powerful suction force. Richard’s speed instantly dropped by half.

BANG! BANG!

More black stars appeared and transformed into black holes, each releasing a terrifying pulling force.

With suction coming from every direction, Richard found himself completely unable to move.

"Come on, show me your strength," Ethan said with a smile.

Richard frowned.

This man seemed to be playing with him.

Or perhaps he was trying to trap him here.

(Can you help me?) he sent his voice into the Dragon Hall.

If he were alone, dealing with this man would be difficult.

But the skeleton was more than capable.

It could make Ethan suffer.

Richard wanted exactly that so Ethan would stop acting arrogant in front of him.

Clearly, the man had only appeared calm all this time because he possessed overwhelming backing. Even when Richard had come to the Order of the Crimson Veil, he had been protected by Carla, the granddaughter of its strongest ancestor.

This man was still narrow-minded at heart.

(Very well. I shall destroy this lowly clone!) the skeleton replied.

Immediately afterward, it appeared right beside Richard.

Richard could not help but dwell on one particular word.

Clone.

So Ethan truly possessed a clone.

And judging by the skeleton’s words, this clone seemed to have developed even better than the original, perhaps because it had been created through some special method.

When Ethan saw the black skeleton appear beside Richard, confusion flashed across his face.

The skeleton emitted no aura whatsoever and looked rather strange, possessing flesh only on the upper portion of its skull.

But in the next moment, the skeleton suddenly pointed a hand toward Ethan.

Its movement was completely unaffected by the suction of the black holes.

It merely pointed forward.

Suddenly, Ethan was enveloped by a gigantic black sphere filled with the aura of death.

His eyes widened, but he could not react.

His body turned black before merging into the darkness itself.

Based on Richard’s observation, Ethan had been completely erased.

Perhaps not truly dead since it was only a clone, but this clone seemed to be the stronger half of him.

A faint smile appeared on Richard’s face.

All of the black holes vanished instantly.

He knew that Ethan’s real body was probably wearing an extremely miserable expression right now.

"Where is the bloodline?" Richard asked afterward.

"Seventeenth floor. Enter it. The gate will open, and you’ll find an Ancestral Bloodline Pool suitable for your horse!" the skeleton answered briefly before returning to the Dragon Hall.

Richard nodded and stepped toward the seventeenth floor.

DING!

(Your understanding of the Teleportation Arcane Art has increased from 1% to 5%!)

[Arcane Arts:

Mind Attack (100%)

Dragon Fist (100%)

Teleportation (5%)]

The notification appeared as he walked, causing him to furrow his brows.

Only four percent?

That was clearly too little.

Still, Richard was not interested in complaining.

His attention remained fixed on the pagoda before him.

Each floor naturally possessed a balcony, though none had railings.

When he landed on the balcony of the seventeenth floor, he was astonished by its size.

The gate before him was perhaps two hundred meters tall.

Rumble!

The gate suddenly opened, causing him to inhale sharply.

How could miraculous things happen so casually?

Who exactly was that skeleton?

A terrifying suspicion began forming in Richard’s mind.

When the gate fully opened, he discovered an enormous hall.

And inside that hall was a gigantic pool of blood.

It was blood of an intensely crimson color, seemingly boiling while releasing scorching hot mist.

One entire floor contained something like this.

If so, what about the other floors?

(Get inside quickly, boy!) the skeleton spoke again.

Richard hurried inside, and the gate immediately closed behind him.

He did not dare ask further questions.

After all, he was inside what was likely one of the strongholds of those terrifying beings.

"Athena!"

He summoned his horse from the Dragon Hall.

Athena appeared in her smaller form, her wings folded against her body.

She looked curiously at the blood pool before turning toward Richard.

It seemed she could sense a special connection with the blood.

As though she instinctively knew she could absorb it for her evolution.

Richard nodded, giving her permission to enter.

Whoosh!

Athena needed only a single leap before plunging into the pool and sinking beneath the blood.

(Can I move this into the Dragon Hall?) Richard asked.

He had no idea how long the process would take.

It would be much better if it happened inside the Dragon Hall.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, the entire blood pool condensed into a tiny red point in an instant.

Afterward, it flew directly into the Dragon Hall.

(Return immediately!) the skeleton’s voice echoed once more.