Chapter 130: Breaking Through the Bronze Peak! Other Greedy Nobles?

The golden Flame Battle Qi and the white Holy Light energy, which had originally been like mortal enemies, clashing and destroying one another.

At the moment they touched this dark red flame, they unexpectedly quieted down at the same time.

It was as if two wild beasts locked in a life-or-death struggle had suddenly caught sight of their king.

That dark red flame was like a natural "mediator."

It did not favor either side, but instead, like an impartial arbitrator, forcibly inserted itself between the gold and the white.

It flowed slowly, wrapping around the two energies that had previously been as distinct as clear water and muddy water, forming a delicate balance.

The tearing, excruciating pain within Roko's body lessened significantly in an instant.

His consciousness, which had been on the verge of collapse, gained a moment of respite because of this.

"Is this Tain's power?"

A flash of realization crossed Roko's mind.

He had no time to ponder why Tain's flame could harmonize two such diametrically opposed powers as Holy Light and Battle Qi.

He knew this was his only chance.

The instinct for survival made him immediately grasp this straw of salvation.

He forcibly summoned his last shred of mental energy, no longer attempting to suppress or eliminate either side.

Instead, he did the opposite.

He cautiously guided his golden Flame Battle Qi, which had become much more docile.

To actively approach that mass of dark red flame.

Then, he guided that mass of dark red flame to approach the white Holy Light, which had also become much more docile.

Finally, he guided that white Holy Light to approach his own Flame Battle Qi.

A thought, bold to the point of madness, formed in his mind.

Since they could not be eliminated, then fuse them all together!

Using Tain's dark red flame as the bridge and core.

Construct a brand new, endless cycle within his body using these three distinct powers: Flame Battle Qi and Holy Light Power!

This process was dangerous to the extreme.

Every step was like walking on a tightrope over a cliff; a single moment of carelessness would mean total destruction.

It required a masterful level of control over one's own energy.

And even more, it required a heart daring enough to gamble.

Roko possessed both.

Time, at this moment, seemed to become incredibly slow.

Inside the secret chamber, there was silence.

There was only Roko's heavy breathing and the nervous whimpering coming from Tain's throat.

Inside his body, that high-stakes gamble concerning life and death was underway.

Gold, white, dark red.

Under his guidance, the three-colored energy began to rotate slowly, centered on Tain's flame.

At first, it was still obscure and strained.

At the edges where the three energies met, small-scale conflicts still erupted, bringing him waves of stinging pain.

But Roko did not give up.

With his powerful willpower, he forcibly maintained this fragile cycle.

Once.

Twice.

Ten times.

A hundred times.

Gradually, the rotation of this three-colored vortex became increasingly smooth and harmonious.

The final traces of separation between the three energies were also completely smoothed away.

They no longer repelled each other; instead, they began to attract and blend with one another.

A brand new energy, unprecedented and several times more powerful than simple Flame Battle Qi, was conceived and born within this cycle.

And outside Roko's body, that invisible, solid barrier of his realm.

In front of this brand new energy vortex, it was as fragile as window paper.

"Now!"

A sharp light erupted from Roko's eyes.

He let out a roar in his heart and guided the three-colored energy vortex, which had grown to its limit, to slam fiercely into that barrier.

"Boom!"

A loud sound that seemed to come from the depths of his soul.

That barrier which had troubled him for so long shattered with a crash.

A violent and pure torrent of energy instantly broke through its restraints, surging toward every corner of his body like a burst dam.

His meridians were widened several times over in an instant.

His bones, under the scouring of this energy, became even tougher.

His flesh and blood also seemed to have been tempered anew, filled with explosive power.

An aura, several times more powerful than before, rose into the sky from his body.

The entire secret chamber shook violently due to the eruption of this aura.

The Moonlight Stone on the wall flickered wildly, as if it might go out at any moment.

【Ding! Congratulations to the host for comprehending the true essence of energy during a life-and-death crisis and successfully breaking through!】

【Current Level: Bronze Rank Knight Peak!】

【Proficiency in Flame Griffin Breathing Method has greatly increased!】

【The host's resistance to and control over heterogeneous energy have been permanently improved!】

The system's notification sounds echoed one after another in Roko's mind.

Roko slowly opened his eyes.

In his pupils, a golden light flashed, carrying an unprecedented majesty and dominance.

He raised his hand and opened his palm.

With a thought, a cluster of golden flames rose from his palm.

This cluster of flames was several times brighter and several times more solid than before.

At the center of the flames, there were even faint traces of pure white and dark red, making it look more mysterious and more dangerous.

He could feel that the power of his 【Flame Slash】 was at least thirty percent stronger than before the breakthrough.

"Is this—the power of Bronze Peak?"

Roko muttered to himself, feeling the unprecedented, surging power within his body, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

The enemy's holy object, the alien bloodline.

These two things, which should have been lethal poisons, had instead become the key to his breakthrough through a twist of fate.

This had to be said to be a huge irony.

"Chirp?"

A cry filled with a hint of exhaustion pulled Roko back from his joy.

He lowered his head and saw Tain lying on his lap, rubbing against him with its small head; those dark golden beast eyes were filled with weariness and attachment.

Just now, in order to help Roko, it had almost exhausted all of its origin power.

At this moment, the dark red patterns on its small body had become much dimmer.

"You've worked hard, little guy."

A warm current welled up in Roko's heart.

He reached out and gently stroked Tain's smooth fur.

Between the man and the beast, that resonance of bloodlines seemed to have become clearer and firmer.

This was no longer just master and pet, but true partners who could entrust their lives to each other.

The corners of Roko's mouth curled up slightly.

The gains from this seclusion far exceeded his imagination.

Just at this moment.

Inside another quiet room of the Lingzhu Fu.

Fula, who was sitting cross-legged in meditation, suddenly twitched her beautiful cat ears violently.

Her pair of heterochromatic pupils also opened instantly.

Just now, she had clearly felt a powerful and familiar energy fluctuation coming from the depths of the Lingzhu Fu.

That fluctuation resonated strongly with the Battle Qi of the 【Flame Griffin Breathing Method】 within her body.

The Battle Qi in her body, which had already been close to Bronze Peak, actually began to stir under the influence of this resonance.

A blurry layer of window paper leading to a higher realm was poked open with a small hole in front of her.

Although she still could not see the scenery behind it clearly, she had already seen the direction.

"It's Master's aura."

"Master, he... broke through?"

A flash of surprise first appeared on Fula's face, and then it was replaced by deep joy.

She clenched her small fists, and her eyes burned with unprecedented fighting spirit.

Master has become stronger.

I must also keep up with Master's pace as soon as possible!

Roko had just finished soothing the sleeping Tain and was preparing to get up to check his physical condition.

A burst of urgent knocking suddenly came from outside the stone door.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

"Roko, have you finished your seclusion?"

It was Martina's voice.

Her voice carried a hint of undisguised anxiety.

Roko frowned slightly, and a bad premonition arose in his heart.

He knew Martina's personality; if something urgent hadn't happened, she would never have come to disturb him while he was in seclusion.

"I have finished my seclusion, come in."

Roko replied in a deep voice.

The stone door slowly opened, and Martina's tall and moving figure appeared at the entrance.

She saw Roko sitting cross-legged on the ground and was slightly stunned at first.

She could clearly feel that the aura on Roko's body was more than a grade stronger than before his seclusion.

It was a kind of restrained, yet oppressive feeling that made one dare not look directly at him.

"You—broke through?"

A flash of surprise flickered in Martina's white eyes.

"Just luck."

Roko stood up, brushed the dust off his body, and said indifferently.

"Speak, what happened?"

Martina immediately composed her emotions, returning to the capable Chief Administrative Officer.

Her expression became somewhat grave.

"The other nobles of Xin Feng Province have sent envoys."

"They are currently outside Vanguard Valley."

"Oh?" Roko's eyebrows arched.

"Who all is there?"

"Almost... everyone has come."

Martina handed over a list that had just been drafted.

"Including your two uncles, the seventh uncle and the twelfth uncle; they have also sent representatives."

A cold, icy glint flashed in Roko's eyes.

These people, they don't come early, they don't come late.

They choose to come precisely when he has just repelled the Temple of Light and suffered heavy losses.

It seems they have come with ill intent.

"Their purpose is likely not as simple as congratulating us on winning the battle."

Martina's voice also turned cold.

"According to scout intelligence, these noble delegations had secret meetings on their way here."

"I suspect they have united this time, preparing to pressure us."

"Pressure?"

Roko sneered.

"By what right?"

"By the fact that we have just experienced a bloody battle and our military strength is severely damaged."

Martina pointed out the current predicament of Vanguard Valley with piercing accuracy.

"And by the fact that they are numerous and powerful."

"More importantly, by the things we possess."

Martina's gaze became sharp.

"The Obsidian Gold Equipment that can crush Temple Knights."

"The Strong Liquor that has swept through the entire Dwarf Mountains."

"And our alliance with the Stone Hammer Tribe and the Red Leaf Forest."

"These are all enough to make any noble green with envy."

Roko fell silent.

Martina was right.

An innocent man is guilty of his own treasure.

Although Vanguard Valley won fame in this battle, it also exposed too many of its trump cards.

These trump cards, while deterring enemies, also attracted countless wolves.

"I understand."

Roko nodded, his eyes showing not a trace of panic.

"Let them in."

"Right here in the Lingzhu Fu's council hall, I will meet them personally."

"I want to see what these so-called 'neighbors' actually want to get from me."

His voice was calm and indifferent.

But Martina felt a terrifying, impending rage beneath this calmness.

She knew.

A new storm was about to arrive.

And this time, the battlefield was not on the field of war.

It was in the hearts of men.

The council hall of Vanguard Valley had just undergone emergency repairs.

A scent of fresh wood and lime still lingered in the air.

The charred marks on the walls caused by the Holy Light, although cleaned, still left indelible imprints, as if silently recounting the brutality of that battle.

In the center of the hall stood a massive, long oak table.

At this moment, both sides of this table were already filled with people.

They were the noble envoys from various territories of Xin Feng Province.

These people were dressed in finery, their expressions varied.

Some sat upright with solemn faces, their eyes occasionally sweeping over the furnishings in the hall, seemingly evaluating something.

Others were whispering to their companions, wearing faint smiles, but those smiles did not reach their eyes.

Still others wore arrogant expressions, their eyes filled with undisguised contempt and scrutiny, as if they were not visiting guests,

but monarchs on an inspection.

The atmosphere in the entire hall appeared somewhat eerie.

An invisible current, known as "probing" and "gambit," flowed slowly among the crowd.

Martina stood at one side of the hall, her snow-white eyes calmly sweeping over everyone present.

The backgrounds and dossiers of these people, as well as the strength and demands of the families they represented, had, long before they entered Vanguard Valley,

already been thoroughly grasped by her.

Sitting at the head of the long table, closest to the main seat, was a middle-aged man wearing a purple silk robe with a meticulously trimmed goatee on his chin.

He was called Borton, the Chief Advisor to Viscount Wilson and the nominal leader of this joint delegation.

Gathered around Borton were seven or eight envoys from minor nobles who vaguely took him as their leader, forming a small clique, their gazes toward the others carrying a hint of superiority.

On the other side of the long table, the atmosphere was much more relaxed.

A middle-aged man with a kind face, looking more like a wealthy merchant than an envoy, was holding a glass of water and savoring it carefully.

He was called Hans, the father of Mike and the envoy sent by Earl Adrian.

His arrival represented the goodwill and support of Earl Adrian toward Vanguard Valley.

Sitting beside him were several representatives of minor nobles who also held a friendly attitude.

Although they were not powerful, their very presence was a statement in itself.