Chapter 35: Explosion

Everyone took a step back in fear, seeing Aurora's twisted face.

"You see, you've all been freeloading until now, so you'd better do something productive. I can see that the seal has weakened, so break it; I'm resting," Aurora ordered, ignoring everyone as she sat a little distance away. "Oh yeah, since this seal has weakened, it means that Liam guy has died, so the tomb could explode at any moment."

Hearing Aurora, the group immediately began to use their strongest attacks on the seal. After a few minutes, some cracks began to appear on the seal, which made the group ecstatic. They unleashed their attacks without caring about their Profound energy reserves or anything.

But only cracks were appearing, and the seal didn't look like it would break anytime soon.

Amid the attacks, a big flame wave hit a larger crack, causing the seal to break like a mirror and dissolve in the air.

Of course, that attack was from Aurora, who was growing impatient as the thing she had placed beside Liam could explode at any moment.

She then jumped out of the entrance, and everyone followed her.

They heaved a sigh of relief as soon as they got outside; finally, they were safe.

The three elders of the three kingdoms also arrived soon after sensing them. They frowned when they saw the number of survivors. They were particularly stunned to see Aurora in her current condition.

Jev approached Shihab and asked, "What happened inside? Why did only eleven of you survive?"

Max and Tapori also listened closely to their conversation.

However, before Shihab could respond, the earth beneath them began to stir.

At first, there was a low, ominous rumbling, like the growl of a slumbering giant awakening from a deep sleep. The air crackled with tension, and the ground trembled beneath everyone's feet. The mountain's once-steady facade began to fracture, as if the earth itself were breaking free from its rocky prison.

Suddenly, with a thunderous noise that shook the entire world, the mountain burst open. Smoke and dust shot up into the sky, blocking out the sun and turning day into night.

The three elders hurriedly erected a barrier to cover everyone, pouring every ounce of their profound energy into a single shield. They sensed death hovering over them and knew that everyone would die if this barrier broke.

Eventually, the barrier couldn't withstand the pressure and shattered. Fortunately, Tapori activated a defensive artifact that covered everyone. The other two elders also supplied the artifact with their profound energy.

The noise was deafening, like a thousand thunderstorms occurring simultaneously. Rocks sizzled and popped from the extreme heat, and animals fled in terror. Lightning flashed within the dark cloud of dust, making it look like the end of the world.

The mountain continued to erupt, and it seemed as if the Earth itself was crying. A rush of hot mud and rocks cascaded down the mountain, creating even more chaos. The ground kept shaking, and even the elders were stunned by the incredible, wild power of it all.

Aurora merely watched the destruction with a drop of sweat on her forehead.

'Phew, now I feel grateful that the dumbass died easily,' Aurora thought. Aadi had just told her that the stone could explode and even kill Heaven Profound Stage Artists. That's why she felt confident during the fight. If she had used this as her trump card, she surely would have died alongside Liam.

After what felt like an eternity, everything finally calmed down, and Tapori retracted her artifact. She was breathing heavily, as using the artifact took a toll on her body.

What they saw left them dumbstruck; they could only describe the aftermath with two words: pure devastation.

In the aftermath, the once-mighty mountain now resembled a broken and smoky ruin. The area was messy and destroyed, and the land around it transformed into a perilous landscape.

The elders were now even more curious about what had caused such destruction. They were sure that even they couldn't produce an attack of this magnitude.

Jev turned and looked at Shihab, who had just calmed down. Shihab noticed Jev's gaze and understood, so he recounted everything from the red-horned rats to Liam, explaining how Aurora herself had defeated him, although they hadn't witnessed how it ended.

Shihab could have saved the full story for after they reached the kingdom, but since everyone had already seen everything, there was no point in hiding it.

As for the three elders, the more they heard, the more dumbfounded they became—especially when Shihab told them about the battle between Aurora and Liam, who was at the Peak-grade Earth Profound Stage, according to him. Their eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

'I have to have her on our side, or she has to die; the Kela Kingdom can't have such a genius. She'll definitely be a problem for us in the future,' Mark thought as he glanced at Aurora, who was still surveying the devastation. Unconsciously, he released some killing intent toward her, but that was only for a moment as he quickly regained control.

Of course, Aurora immediately turned her head, sensing the killing intent. Even if it was released for just a moment, it was easy for her to detect. Upon realizing who it was, an idea came to her mind.

She dropped to her knees and coughed up blood, her body trembling, with blood dripping from the corner of her mouth. She stared at Mark with a determined look and shouted, "How could you bully a junior as a senior, even though I saved everyone from your kingdom?"

Mark, who had been formulating plans regarding Aurora, became dumbfounded by her accusations.

Jev also turned his attention to Aurora upon hearing her shout. As soon as he saw her condition, fear and anger surged in his heart, and he immediately released his full power, reaching the High-grade Heaven Profound Stage. His mind was consumed by one thought: 'I'm really going to die if the expert finds out about this.'

Mark and Tapori both looked at Jev in horror and amazement, thinking the same thing: 'Seventh-Grade Heaven Profound Stage!!'