Chapter 1226: A Gate That Hungers
Ethan turned his head to look at her.
Catheryn went on, "So in a place like this, what really matters is raw combat instinct—and how well you can coordinate and control your energy. You’ve got a huge edge in both, which is why he’s willing to stay by your side."
Ethan’s breathing sped up on the spot.
He hadn’t expected to pick up a top-tier powerhouse here. A 36 Tier existence— even with this space’s special restrictions keeping him from showing his full strength—still said plenty about how terrifying his level was. If Ethan brought him back to Emerald Castle, he’d instantly become a critical piece of their combat power.
Ethan immediately opened the system and scanned the man in front of him.
A moment later, the data panel popped up.
"You’re Caelorn Skyborne!"
Caelorn nodded hard, excitement blazing in his eyes.
"From this moment on, I’m your subordinate. If you don’t like my name, you can give me a new one—but you have to let me stay with you."
Ethan didn’t bother with more words.
He reached out and patted Caelorn on the shoulder. The excitement in his chest wouldn’t settle down no matter what he did. Then he led Caelorn out of the area.
By now, Mournvale Abyss had effectively become Emerald Castle’s territory.
A massive spatial passageway stretched across the center, directly linked to Emerald Castle. Stable spatial energy flowed along the edges in a constant stream. The abyssal aura that used to belong to Mournvale Abyss had been forced down, replaced by the pulsing power fluctuations of Emerald Castle’s faction.
Ethan didn’t hesitate. He walked straight to the spatial passageway, ready to return to Emerald Castle.
"Wait!"
Catheryn suddenly called out.
Ethan stopped and looked back.
Catheryn stood outside the passage, glancing at the Mournvale Abyss—shattered and ruined beyond recognition from the war—then at the figures in the distance who had already surrendered. She looked far calmer than before, the sharp edge around her presence drawn in.
"This place is basically destroyed," Catheryn said. "And most of them have already surrendered to you. My title as a Goddess is just an empty shell now. I’d rather serve under you as a war general."
Ethan lit up immediately.
With Goddess Catheryn on their side, Emerald Castle’s strength would climb again. She wasn’t just familiar with Mournvale Abyss—she also held an extremely special Primordial Force. Having someone like her join was a massive upgrade for Emerald Castle, no question.
"Absolutely," Ethan said at once. "Then let’s head out."
Catheryn didn’t say anything else. She stepped straight into the spatial passageway.
At long last, Emerald Castle welcomed a rare stretch of quiet days.
In the time that followed, huge quantities of mineral resources were shipped back nonstop. Snow-white ores, special energy cores, and all kinds of resources from within Mournvale Abyss arrived batch after batch, pouring into Emerald Castle. The energy density inside the city rose day by day, and many buildings and defensive structures changed almost beyond recognition because of it.
For once, Ethan finally got to breathe.
He lounged back in a recliner, looking genuinely relaxed. After continuous campaigns, a few peaceful days felt like luxury. The city’s operations gradually stabilized again, resources kept piling up, and everything pushed steadily in a better direction.
Then Feylora came rushing in, nearly out of breath.
"Master—there’s a new world moving toward us!"
Ethan’s brow snapped into a frown.
He’d only had a few quiet days, and now another unknown world was approaching?
He didn’t dare waste even a second. He immediately took people out of the main city.
The moment he stepped outside, Ethan saw it—floating in the sky was a massive, divine-looking energy gate. It rotated slowly, its edges crawling with intricate, ancient patterns. The energy pouring out carried a kind of power he’d never felt before.
That force was heavy and deep... and mixed with an endless, devouring pull.
Even from a distance, Ethan could feel the air around them being drawn toward the gate. The city wall’s energy barrier rippled with faint tremors, like it was instinctively resisting that swallowing power.
If the gate kept coming, Emerald Castle itself might get dragged in and devoured.
Ethan’s breathing turned sharp.
At a moment like this, he didn’t have time to stand around and study it. He led everyone straight toward the energy entrance and plunged right inside.
But when he truly arrived...
This world wasn’t as domineering and terrifying as it looked from the outside.
It was practically a paradise.
Lush forests blanketed the land, and spiritual energy flowed between the branches—so dense it was almost liquid. Light spilled through the canopy, scattering soft patches across the ground. The air was clean and gentle, a stark contrast to the intense devouring power outside the entrance.
And on every single tree...
There was an incredibly powerful energy crystal embedded in the trunk.
Those crystals weren’t violent at all. If anything, they felt unusually mild. Their energy could blend naturally into the surrounding environment, and it could meet other forces without clashing. Ethan tested his senses and realized these crystals seemed able to merge with any kind of power without rejection.
His breath hitched again.
If he could fuse this world with Emerald Castle, maybe Emerald Castle’s level could undergo a massive evolution.
He was just about to descend—
when the entire world suddenly rumbled with a thunderous roar.
A strange energy rippled through heaven and earth. The previously calm forest began to whip and sway, leaves rattling violently. The crystals embedded in the trees started to flicker, pulsing along with the disturbance. From deep within the distant mountains, dense tremors rolled through the ground.
Then, in the forested hills not far away, countless goat-like figures appeared.
They charged forward at terrifying speed, kicking up wave after wave of dust. Their crimson bodies looked like magma flowed beneath the surface, their outer skin wrapped in steel. Two enormous horns curved from their heads, each fitted with a heavy iron ring. Every time they ran, the rings slammed into the horns with dull, metallic booms.
One of the figures raised a hand.
A fiery-red goat phantom burst from behind it, trailing scorching air as it lunged straight for Ethan’s group. As the phantom ran, the air ahead warped under the heat, and the grass and brush on the ground were pressed flat to either side by the shockwave.
At the same time, a huge iron hammer was lifted high.
It crashed toward Ethan with crushing weight, the hammerhead tearing through the air with a shriek of wind. The goat phantom slammed in from the front while the hammer dropped from the side—an instant two-sided pincer.
Ethan’s face tightened. He had no choice but to release his power.
Transparent lightning rippled out from his palm, weaving rapidly into a white curtain of electricity in front of him. The fiery goat phantom was already almost on top of them. Blistering heat spread low across the ground, baking the plants until they curled and blackened. The iron hammer fell from the other side, its thick shadow swallowing his headspace.
Ethan lifted his hand, white lightning blasting directly into the oncoming phantom. Electricity and scorching force collided—air in the mountain forest detonated into a chain of explosive booms. The soil beneath his feet tore open from the impact, exposing wide stretches of roots, scorched black.
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