The white lizard's golden eyes remained fixed on him, calm and unblinking.
Within them, there was no rage.
No madness.
Only observation.
Calculation.
And faint curiosity.
His thoughts drifted inward briefly.
The fox was right.
A memory surfaced quietly in his mind.
At the time, he had not given it much thought.
Now—he understood.
A Golden Core demonic beast that achieved human form was fundamentally different from human cultivators.
Stronger bodies.
Sharper instincts.
Innate spiritual affinity.
Natural bloodline abilities.
And once they were capable of cultivating human techniques and spirit arts as well—those advantages would multiply to something terrifying.
The lizard's consciousness settled.
Now that I've reached Golden Core…
I should also be capable of transformation.
Human form.
Spirit arts.
Sect techniques.
Proper cultivation methods beyond instinctive evolution.
Interesting.
The thought passed through him without excitement.
Only realization.
A new path had opened.
But for now—
his golden gaze returned to Elder Han.
This one first.
Across the shattered battlefield, Elder Han remained tense beneath drifting clouds of dust.
Golden Core energy coiled around him in layers of defense while countless calculations raced through his mind.
The beast could think clearly.
It might negotiate.
It might deceive.
And most dangerous of all—it remained completely calm while facing a sect elder.
That composure was deeply unsettling.
Yet Elder Han still did not retreat.
His cultivation was higher.
His techniques refined through centuries of training.
And this creature had only recently stepped into the Golden Core realm.
If the battle continued long enough—the advantage should belong to him.
Slowly, the elder raised one hand again.
Silver-gold spiritual energy condensed in his palm.
"…You've already killed sect disciples."
His voice turned colder.
"There is no path left for you except death."
The white lizard regarded him silently for a moment.
Then his gaze narrowed slightly.
It seems…
he still hasn't understood his situation.
Not arrogance.
A simple conclusion.
The elder still believed he controlled the battle.
Still believed he was the hunter.
Golden light flickered faintly in the lizard's eyes.
Then—
gravity changed.
No warning.
No visible technique.
The world itself simply grew heavier.
BOOOOM—!
The air collapsed downward violently.
Elder Han's pupils contracted.
"What—?!"
Pressure descended from all directions at once.
Not spiritual suppression.
Not aura.
Gravity itself.
The sky distorted.
The shattered forest below was crushed into the earth as trees and boulders imploded under the sudden force.
The surviving disciples screamed as their bodies were slammed flat against the ground.
CRACK—!
Bones broke instantly.
Protective barriers bent inward under overwhelming pressure.
Even Foundation Establishment cultivators struggled to breathe.
But Elder Han suffered the worst of it.
Because the center of the gravitational field was focused entirely on him.
His defensive spiritual energy erupted instinctively, resisting as the force multiplied around his body.
BOOM—!
The air around him collapsed.
His figure dropped from the sky like a falling meteor and crashed into the ruined earth below.
The ground shattered on impact.
A massive crater exploded outward.
Dust and debris surged into the air.
For the first time since his arrival—shock appeared on Elder Han's face.
His arms trembled as he forced himself upright within the crater.
The pressure crushing him was immense.
Heavy.
Dense.
Absolute.
As though an invisible mountain had been placed upon his shoulders.
Above, the white lizard hovered calmly, golden eyes looking down into the crater.
And only then—
Elder Han understood.
This was not merely a stealth-type beast.
It possessed innate abilities.
Terrifying ones.
The lizard's voice drifted softly downward through the distorted air.
"…Now."
Calm.
Emotionless.
"…let's continue."
Elder Han rose slowly from the shattered crater.
Dust fell from his robes.
Fragments of stone slid from his shoulders under the relentless gravitational pressure still weighing on the battlefield.
Then his spiritual energy changed.
Completely.
The restraint vanished.
BOOOOOOM—!
A pillar of silver-gold energy erupted skyward like a volcanic explosion.
The surrounding gravitational field warped violently as raw Golden Core power surged outward without restraint.
The earth cracked further.
Nearby hills split apart.
Trees were uprooted instantly by the pressure wave.
The surviving disciples paled and retreated in haste.
"…E-Elder…"
Until now, Elder Han had controlled every fluctuation of his power with precision.
Restrained output.
Efficient strikes.
Measured combat.
But now—none of that remained.
Because he had reached a conclusion.
This creature could not be handled cautiously anymore.
It had to be destroyed.
Immediately.
The pressure intensified further.
Dense spiritual light gathered behind Elder Han in expanding layers.
One ring.
Then another.
Then another.
Until the very air seemed to groan under the compression.
And slowly—something formed behind him.
A manifestation.
Massive.
Humanoid.
Forged entirely from condensed Golden Core essence.
Silver-gold armor covered its enormous form, engraved with ancient runes that burned like molten metal.
Its face remained indistinct, yet its presence alone distorted the surrounding space.
The disciples stared in awe and fear.
"The elder's Golden Core manifestation…"
"A Dharma Form…"
The colossal figure loomed behind Elder Han like a divine guardian over the ruined forest.
Each movement sent ripples through the air.
Above, the white lizard watched silently.
Golden eyes studying the manifestation with quiet interest.
Interesting.
So this is his core manifestation technique.
The pressure had increased significantly.
Far beyond before.
This was no longer ordinary Golden Core combat.
Elder Han had entered full battle state.
Elder Han rose slowly from the crater until he stood suspended before the massive spiritual figure.
His silver robes whipped violently in the storm of power.
Cold eyes locked onto the lizard.
And for the first time—true killing intent erupted without restraint.
"You forced this."
His voice echoed alongside the manifestation, overlapping like layered thunder.
The atmosphere trembled.
The white lizard did not move.
Did not respond.
Only watched.
Then Elder Han raised his hand.
The manifestation mirrored him instantly.
Spiritual energy condensed into a colossal palm above.
The sky dimmed beneath its weight.
The disciples below trembled instinctively.
They recognized it.
A full-power sect technique.
Unrestrained.
Unforgiving.
A true Golden Core killing art.
Elder Han's voice rang out coldly.
"Heaven-Sealing Divine Palm."
The giant hand descended.
And the sky seemed to collapse with it.
The colossal palm fell from the heavens.
Space itself screamed under the pressure.
The ruined forest disintegrated further as overwhelming force bore down upon the white lizard suspended in the air.
But then—
the sky darkened.
Instantly.
Not naturally.
Sunlight vanished as darkness spread outward from the lizard like ink spilling across heaven.
Elder Han's eyes narrowed sharply.
Clouds formed.
Black storm clouds spiraled outward in expanding rings, thick enough to blot out the sky within moments.
Within them—lightning stirred.
Not ordinary lightning.
Dark blue arcs surged like living veins, illuminating the heavens in violent flashes.
BOOOOM—!
Thunder erupted.
Not from above.
From everywhere at once.
The atmosphere itself trembled.
The disciples stared upward in horror.
"…What technique is that?!"
"No…" one whispered hoarsely, "that's not a technique…"
Because the pressure within those clouds did not feel cultivated.
It felt ancient.
Primal.
Like an innate authority over heaven itself.
At the center of the storm, the white lizard remained suspended in absolute calm.
Golden eyes glowing faintly through the darkness as blue lightning crawled harmlessly across his white scales.
Then—
The storm moved.
The clouds above twisted violently, spiraling inward as though the sky itself were being wrung apart.
Condensing.
Stretching.
Taking shape.
Within the roiling darkness, a massive outline began to form.
Long.
Coiling.
Monstrous.
A serpent.
Its body was not flesh, nor bone, but an immense construct of storm clouds and crackling blue lightning, vast enough to span the heavens above the battlefield.
Thunder roared without pause as luminous lightning veins traced along its colossal form, illuminating the silhouette of something far beyond natural scale.
Then its eyes opened.
Ancient blue light burned within them.
And at the moment the serpent fully manifested—
the descending Heaven-Sealing Divine Palm slowed.
Not halted.
Opposed.
The space between both forces warped violently, distorting under the collision of two overwhelming spiritual authorities.
Elder Han's expression finally changed.
Not caution.
Not tension.
Shock.
True shock.
Because he felt it immediately.
Bloodline power.
A divine beast manifestation.
Impossible.
Most demonic beasts possessed innate abilities, and some carried ancient inheritances buried deep within their lineage. But a manifestation capable of influencing atmospheric phenomena on this level—one that could summon a storm body that responded as an extension of its will—
that belonged only to creatures standing at the very peak of demonic evolution.
The storm serpent lowered its enormous head slowly behind the small white lizard hovering before it.
In contrast to the colossal entity behind him, the lizard looked almost insignificant.
Small.
Quiet.
Still.
Yet the pressure emanating from him had changed entirely.
Not heavier.
Higher.
As if something beneath the storm itself had awakened.
A predator that did not need to grow large to be feared.
Dark blue lightning reflected in his golden eyes.
Then the lizard spoke softly.
"Hmn… interesting."
The storm serpent above him opened its jaws.
BOOOOOOOOOOM—!!!
A pillar of dark blue lightning erupted downward from the heavens.
The sky shattered under its release.
The Heaven-Sealing Divine Palm collided directly with the storm beam midair.
For an instant, the world held its breath.
Then—
the impact detonated.
A shockwave of pure destructive force tore outward like divine punishment unleashed upon the mortal realm.
Mountains fractured and collapsed in sequence.
Entire stretches of forest were erased in an instant, reduced to ash and scattered dust.
The surviving disciples were thrown violently backward despite their defensive barriers, their bodies tumbling across broken earth.
The battlefield itself ceased to resemble terrain.
It became ruin.
And within the storm-choked heavens above—
two colossal manifestations struggled against one another.
One forged from refined Golden Core cultivation, shaped by discipline, technique, and centuries of accumulation.
The other born from ancient bloodline authority, primal instinct, and the raw command of storm and sky.
Elder Han stood at the center of his shattered crater, staring upward as spiritual energy roared violently around him.
For the first time since the battle began—
uncertainty entered his mind.