Three days earlier...
After Lewis and Tim had put on an Oscar-worthy performance, Lewis finally revealed the secret inheritance he had hidden even from the Mollock Syndicate. What he possessed was far more extraordinary than either of them had initially imagined.
It was a complete cultivation system capable of transforming a living being into an Undying Cultivator—an existence that defied death itself.
Its name was the Undying Fiend Canon.
A heretical cultivation art so cruel and inhumane that both the righteous and demonic factions would hunt down anyone who dared practice it. It was a technique born from endless slaughter, sacrifice, and desecration, one that demanded rivers of blood before even the first step could be taken.
Fortunately, Lewis had never been an impulsive man.
As cunning and calculating as he was, he had spent years quietly preparing for this very day.
Long before joining the Mollock Syndicate, he had already begun collecting the resources required for the inheritance. Even after becoming one of the Syndicate's minor leaders, he never stopped.
However, he was careful.
Whenever he acquired a valuable cultivation resource, he would deliberately purchase dozens of ordinary materials alongside it, mixing genuine necessities with worthless miscellaneous items. Anyone spying on him would simply assume he had become an obsessive collector.
No one—not even the Mollock Syndicate—had ever realized what he was truly preparing.
Now, with the Syndicate having completely abandoned the Mortal Continent, Lewis no longer had anyone watching his every move.
At last...
He could act without restraint.
---
Inside a spacious cavern hidden deep within the mountains, nearly thirty cultivators stood in disciplined rows.
Some had followed Lewis long before he joined the Mollock Syndicate.
Others had pledged their loyalty after witnessing his rise through the Syndicate's ranks.
Lewis slowly swept his gaze across every face before speaking.
"Listen carefully."
His voice echoed throughout the cavern.
"Most of you standing before me have followed me since before I joined the Mollock Syndicate."
His eyes shifted toward the newer members.
"As for the rest of you, you chose to swear your loyalty to me after I became one of the Syndicate's leaders."
He paused.
"Judging by the current situation, I believe most of you already have some idea why I've gathered everyone here."
The group exchanged uncertain glances.
After several moments of silence, one of the older followers stepped forward and respectfully cupped his fists.
"Boss... are you..."
He hesitated before asking carefully.
"...are we leaving the Mollock Syndicate to become independent?"
Before Lewis could answer, Tim pushed his wheelchair forward.
"Yes," he replied calmly.
"We are."
The crowd immediately erupted into whispers.
Tim continued before they could become too excited.
"But before that, we still need to obtain the final two resources required to complete our project."
Lewis nodded approvingly.
"The first is Undying Essence."
"The second..."
"...is Bloodline Essence."
His expression gradually became solemn.
"Every one of you already knows how Bloodline Essence is extracted."
A sinister smile spread across his face.
"But this time..."
"...our sacrifices must remain alive."
The atmosphere instantly grew heavy.
"I don't care whether they're irrational beasts, intelligent beasts, or cultivators who have humanized their beast bloodlines and now resemble humans."
"Capture them."
"Every single one."
"As for the Undying Essence..."
He slowly clenched his fist.
"It can only be harvested by draining the blood of undead creatures."
His eyes gleamed with naked ambition.
"Gather as much as possible."
"When we become Living Undying Beings..."
"...this world will one day tremble beneath our feet."
The declaration ignited everyone's enthusiasm.
Someone exclaimed excitedly,
"Boss, does that mean we'll finally be able to surpass the Qi Gathering Realm?"
Lewis laughed.
"Not only surpass it..."
"If the inheritance is genuine, even higher realms won't be beyond our reach."
The crowd immediately burst into celebration.
"Really?"
"Hahaha!"
"Brothers, let's go harvest undead!"
"I'll catch every beast I can find!"
"This is our chance!"
Their morale soared.
Tim merely watched everything unfold with an indifferent expression before letting out a cold snort.
"Hmph."
When the excitement finally settled, he spoke again.
"We'll divide into three teams."
"The first group will hunt undead creatures and collect as much Undying Essence as possible."
"The second group will capture living beings."
"They must remain alive."
"No exceptions."
He looked toward the remaining cultivators.
"The final group will serve as logistics."
"You'll transport both the captives and the harvested Undying Essence back here."
"No delays."
"No mistakes."
The crowd responded in unison.
"Yes, Young Master!"
Without wasting another second, everyone immediately dispersed.
The operation had officially begun.
---
By the end of the first day...
More than a thousand living creatures had been captured.
Humans.
Cultivators.
Spirit beasts.
And countless irrational beasts.
As long as they were still breathing...
They were dragged back in chains.
By the end of the second day...
The harvested Undying Essence had accumulated into a massive pool nearly seven feet deep, large enough to rival a basketball court.
Its thick, emerald-green liquid constantly bubbled with an eerie, nauseating aura.
Even standing several meters away caused one's skin to crawl.
On the third day...
Everything was finally ready.
Lewis ordered another enormous cavern to be excavated.
Its interior was large enough to house the entire pool of Undying Essence while also surrounding it with hundreds of reinforced cages filled with the captives.
Only after seeing everything assembled did Lewis realize something unexpected.
They had gathered enough resources...
...to reconstruct the cultivation foundations of at least four people.
A satisfied smile appeared on his face.
Years of planning...
Years of patience...
Everything had led to this very moment.
Tim sat quietly in his wheelchair, calmly issuing orders while Lewis observed from the side with a satisfied expression.
"Place twelve captives evenly around the Undying Essence Pool," Tim instructed. "Each pair must possess the same elemental affinity."
The subordinates immediately got to work.
A few moments later, one of them hurried back and bowed respectfully.
"Young Master... we've encountered a problem."
Tim raised an eyebrow.
"What is it?"
"Most of our captives only possess the four basic elemental affinities—Fire, Wind, Earth, and Water. The remaining elemental attributes are either extremely rare or we only managed to capture one of each."
Tim thought for a moment before replying,
"Then use the four basic elements."
He looked toward the pool.
"Three of each attribute."
"Yes, Young Master."
The subordinate immediately left to relay the order.
Lewis watched the scene unfold with a gratified smile.
His son truly possessed the composure of a leader.
Everything was finally in place.
Lewis stepped toward the center of the cavern.
"Now..."
"...let the ritual begin."
With a wave of his hand, his storage device flashed repeatedly.
One treasure after another flew into the emerald pool.
Ancient medicinal herbs.
Refined beast cores.
Corroded bones that radiated sinister Yin energy.
Crystalized pools of corpse marrow.
Jade bottles containing unknown crimson liquids.
Each item disappeared beneath the surface of the Undying Essence.
The pool began to churn violently.
Its nauseating aura grew several times stronger.
Then Lewis retrieved the final item.
It was an ancient black skull.
No one could identify what creature it had once belonged to.
The moment it splashed into the pool—
BOOM!
The entire pool erupted.
The thick emerald liquid began boiling violently, releasing terrifying waves of heat despite its deathly Yin aura.
The cavern trembled.
Green mist filled the air as the pool pulsed like the beating heart of some ancient monster.
Lewis's eyes burned with excitement.
"This is it..."
"The ritual has truly begun."
Originally, he intended to step into the pool first.
However...
His cautious nature prevailed.
He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
No...
Better to test the waters first.
His gaze slowly swept across everyone present before eventually settling on Tim.
A complicated expression flashed across his face.
Although he genuinely cared for his son, his own life would always come first.
He's weak anyway.
If the ritual fails...
Then at least I can say my son died pursuing the path of cultivation.
Without another word, Lewis walked behind Tim and began pushing the wheelchair toward the bubbling pool.
"Son."
"You'll enter first."
Tim looked back.
Lewis smiled reassuringly.
"If I enter before you, there may not be enough Undying Essence left."
"I don't want you to lose this opportunity."
Although Lewis sounded sincere...
A sharp glint flashed deep within Tim's eyes before disappearing just as quickly.
He simply nodded.
"As you wish, Father."
The closer they approached the pool...
The more oppressive its aura became.
An overwhelming pressure filled the air.
Its eerie presence seemed capable of corroding flesh and soul alike.
Even standing nearby was unbearable.
Tim's face gradually turned pale.
Cold sweat formed across his forehead.
The pressure became so intense that Lewis had to release his own cultivation aura to shield him.
Tim looked toward the boiling pool before speaking hesitantly.
"Father..."
"I think..."
"...you should go first."
Lewis frowned.
"Why?"
"Are you afraid?"
Tim shook his head.
"No."
"I simply don't have a cultivation foundation."
"If I enter first..."
"...I might be consumed before the inheritance even begins."
Lewis had already considered that possibility.
Even so...
He ignored Tim's concern.
"Don't worry."
"If anything goes wrong, I'll pull you out."
Tim lowered his head.
"I... I'm still not mentally prepared."
Lewis snorted impatiently.
"If I say you're ready..."
"...then you're ready."
Without giving Tim another chance to refuse—
Lewis grabbed him by the shoulders...
...and threw him directly into the center of the Undying Essence Pool.
SPLASH!!
The emerald liquid exploded into the air.
The moment Tim's body submerged—
"AAAAAHHHHHHH!!"
A blood-curdling scream echoed throughout the cavern.
"It hurts!"
"It hurts so much!"
"Father!"
"Please!"
"Pull me out!"
"I'm begging you!"
His agonized screams made even several of Lewis's loyal followers instinctively shiver.
Yet Lewis remained completely unmoved.
His expression was as calm as ever.
"Tim."
"The pain you're experiencing is caused by your nonexistent cultivation foundation."
"Ignore it."
"Begin reciting the mantra of the Undying Fiend Canon."
"Only then can your body survive the reconstruction."
After saying that, Lewis turned toward the waiting subordinates.
He gave them a single nod.
That signal alone was enough.
Twelve blades flashed simultaneously.
SHHK!
The twelve captives surrounding the pool were instantly decapitated.
Blood erupted like crimson fountains.
Unlike ordinary blood...
Every drop flew toward the Undying Essence Pool as though attracted by an invisible force.
At the same moment—
The remaining captives imprisoned inside the surrounding cages began screaming.
Lewis's followers cut them repeatedly—not enough to kill them, but enough to leave countless wounds across their bodies.
Blood poured from every injury.
However...
Something horrifying happened.
Instead of falling onto the ground...
The blood began crawling.
Like thousands of scarlet worms, it slowly climbed along the cavern walls.
Higher.
Higher.
Until every stream converged directly above the center of the pool.
The blood continued gathering together.
Compressing.
Refining.
Purifying itself.
Eventually...
The countless rivers of blood condensed into a single crimson droplet.
A pure Bloodline Essence.
It hovered silently above Tim.
Then—
Drip.
The crimson drop landed squarely between his eyebrows.
The instant it made contact...
Tim's entire body trembled violently.
His screams abruptly stopped.
Although the pain remained unbearable...
He forced himself to continue chanting the ancient mantra.
One sentence after another.
Again.
And again.
With each verse...
The corrosion consuming his body gradually slowed.
His flesh, which had been melting moments earlier, suddenly began regenerating at an astonishing speed.
Bones reformed.
Muscles regenerated.
Meridians reconstructed themselves.
It was destruction...
followed immediately by rebirth.
Again and again.
An endless cycle.
Lewis stared intently at every change.
Slowly...
His smile faded.
His brows furrowed.
Something wasn't right.
The resources they had painstakingly accumulated over several years...
The Undying Essence.
The Bloodline Essence.
The countless sacrifices.
Everything...
Was being absorbed by Tim alone.
Lewis's expression darkened.
He had originally believed there would be enough to rebuild four cultivation foundations.
Yet now...
It appeared that even all these resources would barely be enough for a single person.
His heart ached.
Even so...
He quickly forced himself to calm down.
Forget it.
He's my son.
If anyone deserves this opportunity...
It should be him.
Besides...
Lewis had always been an excessively cautious man.
If Tim had not tested the ritual first...
Lewis himself never would have entered.
In truth...
He trusted no one.
Not his followers.
Not his allies.
Not even himself.
The only person he possessed even the slightest amount of trust in...
Was Tim.
Had Tim not been his own flesh and blood...
He would have been standing inside one of those cages alongside the other captives.