The sky above the Celestial Dominion had darkened.
Where once golden clouds drifted peacefully through the heavens, now only a cold wind moved through the empty skies.
Floating continents stood silent.
Abandoned.
The great cities that once held millions of cultivators were now nothing more than hollow shells.
Temples.
Palaces.
Markets.
All empty.
The war had arrived.
And the people of the Celestial Dominion had vanished before it.
Across the vast sky, dozens of warships cut through the clouds like blades.
Massive flying fortresses surrounded by formations of cultivators.
Banners bearing the blazing symbol of the Sovereign Sun fluttered violently in the wind.
At the center of the fleet stood a towering warship forged from black metal and golden runes.
On its command deck stood a tall man wrapped in a dark crimson cloak.
His presence alone made the surrounding cultivators lower their heads.
Magnus Kaelen.
One of the warlords of the Sovereign Sun.
A man whose name alone had burned countless domains into ruin.
His sharp eyes slowly scanned the empty lands of the Celestial Dominion.
Something was wrong.
Too quiet.
Behind him, one of his officers stepped forward and bowed.
"My lord."
Magnus did not turn.
"Report."
The officer spoke carefully.
"Our scouting units have finished searching the surrounding continents."
"And?"
The officer hesitated.
"…There is no one."
Magnus's eyes narrowed slightly.
"No one?"
"Yes, my lord."
Another officer stepped forward.
"We checked the major cities, the military outposts, and the cultivation halls."
"They are all empty."
Magnus slowly turned around.
"Explain."
The officers exchanged uneasy glances.
Finally, one of them spoke.
"It appears… the entire dominion has been evacuated."
Silence fell across the deck.
Magnus stared at the officer.
"Evacuated."
"Yes, my lord."
Another soldier quickly added,
"Our scouts also confirmed that the Eight Pillars are no longer present in their domains."
Magnus's expression slowly darkened.
"What about Elara Veyndral?"
The officer shook his head.
"No sign of her, my lord."
Magnus's voice grew colder.
"And the prince?"
The officers lowered their heads.
"We were unable to locate him."
Magnus's fingers slowly curled into a fist.
"So."
His voice carried quiet fury.
"She abandoned her throne."
The officer spoke carefully.
"It seems the entire Celestial Dominion retreated before our arrival."
Another officer stepped forward.
"Our scouts believe the evacuation happened several days ago."
Magnus laughed.
But the sound was cold.
"That woman…"
He turned and stared across the empty sky again.
"She ran."
One of his generals stepped closer.
"What are your orders, my lord?"
Magnus's eyes burned with anger.
"If she wants to run…"
He raised his hand.
"Then we burn what she left behind."
The generals bowed immediately.
"Yes, my lord!"
Magnus's voice thundered across the deck.
"Destroy everything."
"Cities."
"Temples."
"Palaces."
"Leave nothing standing."
The fleet immediately began moving.
Warships descended toward the empty continents below.
Armies of cultivators poured down from the sky.
Flames of spiritual energy gathered in their hands.
The destruction of the Celestial Dominion was about to begin.
But before the first attack could be unleashed—
The sky suddenly changed.
A strange pressure spread across the entire domain.
The air trembled.
The clouds twisted violently.
One of the generals looked up in alarm.
"My lord—something is happening!"
The space around them distorted.
Then—
A massive domain suddenly appeared.
Golden light flooded the heavens.
A gigantic formation spread across the sky like a divine net.
It engulfed the entire invading army.
"What is this?!" one soldier shouted.
Magnus's eyes widened slightly.
A domain technique.
And an extremely powerful one.
The golden light suddenly ignited.
A wave of burning celestial fire erupted across the battlefield.
SCREEEECH!
Cultivators screamed as the flames touched them.
These were not ordinary flames.
They burned both body and soul.
Entire squads were reduced to ash within seconds.
Warships exploded in midair.
Spiritual shields shattered like glass.
"RETREAT!" one general shouted in terror.
But it was already too late.
The celestial flames consumed everything in their path.
The sky itself seemed to burn.
Hundreds of thousands of cultivators turned into nothing but drifting ash.
Magnus immediately unleashed his own power.
A massive shield of crimson energy erupted around him.
"Break the formation!" he roared.
But the domain was too vast.
Too powerful.
The invading army collapsed under the relentless flames.
Only a few units managed to escape the burning sky.
The rest—
Vanished.
Reduced to ashes.
After several moments—
The golden domain slowly faded.
The sky returned to silence.
Smoke drifted across the empty heavens.
Magnus hovered in the air with the few remaining soldiers behind him.
His expression was dark.
Hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers had just died.
Without even seeing their enemy.
Then—
A small glowing symbol appeared in front of his face.
A floating message formation.
Magnus narrowed his eyes and waved his hand.
The message opened.
Golden light formed words in the air.
A familiar voice echoed through the formation.
Elara Veyndral.
Her voice was calm.
Cold.
"I know not all of you have died."
Magnus's eyes darkened.
"There are still many of you left that I must destroy…"
Her voice continued.
"But that will wait until I return."
The message flickered slightly.
"What you witnessed today…"
"…is not even a fraction of the destruction that awaits you."
The voice grew colder.
"Consider this…"
"…a small gift."
A brief pause followed.
Then her final words echoed across the silent sky.
"I hope you are satisfied."
The message formation shattered.
The sky became quiet again.
Magnus Kaelen stood motionless.
For several seconds—
He said nothing.
Then—
His face twisted with fury.
"ELARA!"
His roar shook the sky.
The surviving soldiers lowered their heads in fear.
Magnus's killing intent spread like a storm.
"That woman…"
His voice trembled with rage.
"She dares mock me?"
He slowly turned toward the remaining army.
His eyes burned with murderous intent.
"Find her."
His voice was low and deadly.
"Find that woman and every remaining loyalist she has."
His aura erupted violently.
"And burn them."
The soldiers immediately bowed.
"Yes, my lord!"
Magnus raised his hand again.
"And the prince."
His voice grew even colder.
"Find him."
"If even a single strand of his hair exists in this world…"
His eyes burned with hatred.
"…destroy it."
The soldiers shivered.
Magnus's gaze turned toward the distant horizon where the Celestial Dominion once stood proud.
"This war…"
His voice echoed quietly through the smoke-filled sky.
"…has only just begun."