System S.E.X. (Seduction, Expansion, eXecution)

Chapter 702: Chapter 702: The Threshold

The fleet maintained its lock on the perimeter as Ethan, the Vice Sect Leader, and the General landed smoothly on the cleared ground. Ethan didn’t waste a single second he sprinted toward the rocky cliffside where the beetle had finally descended.

The black insect buzzed frantically before slipping straight into a narrow vertical fissure hidden behind a cluster of shattered boulders. Right next to the crevice was a concealed stone archway—the primary entrance previously guarded by the Thunderdragon Sect outpost.

Seeing the path cleared, several elite disciples from the vanguard immediately drew their blades and moved forward to breach the threshold.

”Halt! Do not take another step!” Ethan roared, his gravelly voice echoing sharply against the stone.

The disciples instantly froze in mid-stride, turning their heads in confusion. ”Master Ethan? The enemy has been neutralized. Is there an issue?” one of them asked, his hand still on his hilt.

”It is dangerous,” Ethan replied coldly, stepping in front of them. ”Stand back .”

The Vice Sect Leader didn’t say a word; he simply executed a sharp hand gesture, commanding the vanguard to fall back away from the archway. The soldiers instantly retreated into a defensive line.

The General turned toward the newly arrived flagship as its commander descended onto the platform. ”General Boros,” he called out directly. ”Order your twelve ironclads to establish a permanent defensive lockdown over this exact sector. Absolutely nothing enters or vacates this mountain ridge until Doctor Ethan clears the baseline.”

Ethan walked directly up to the narrow opening of the hidden entrance, sniffing the air closely. ”The toxic concentration inside is significantly denser than I initially calculated,” Ethan muttered, turning his head back toward the guard line. ”Bring the two captive disciples to the front immediately.”

The two young women were dragged forward by the vanguard, their bodies shaking violently with absolute terror as they looked at Ethan.

”I want explanations right now,” Ethan said, his amethyst eyes locking onto them with cold intensity. ”What exactly are you people extracting from this sector?”

As Ethan scanned the surrounding mountain wall, he realized the sheer scale of the concealment. The ancient entrance was almost completely sealed off by stone slabs, leaving only a tiny, heavily camouflaged opening. It didn’t look like a standard treasure mining operation at all; it looked like a highly classified, forbidden facility.

”W-We don’t know, Master!” the first disciple stammered, tears streaming down her pale face. ”It is all a misunderstanding! We were only following orders!”

”I am thoroughly exhausted by your useless lies,” Ethan barked, his gravelly voice dropping into a dark register. ”You will start speaking this exact millisecond, or I will personally inject the catalyst into your veins and turn your vessels into dried mummies just like your foolish leader.”

The threat instantly broke her resolve. ”They... they hide everything right over there!” she screamed, pointing her trembling finger toward a hidden alcove masked by heavy canvas nets near the rock face.

”Shut up, you idiot! Do you want to get us killed?!” her companion shrieked, trying to violently lunging forward to block her mouth.

Before she could execute the move, an elite disciple stepped in, grabbing her firmly by the neck. She began to forcejear and scream frantically, but the soldier’s iron grip didn’t loose.

Ethan and the Vice Sect Leader walked past the struggling girls toward the designated alcove. Tearing away the camouflage nets, they revealed dozens of large, reinforced metal containers stacked together like massive storage drums.

”What exactly is this...?” the Vice Leader murmured, his brow furrowing.

”This is the temporary staging area,” the first disciple whimpered from behind. ”This is where they package and store whatever they extract from the deep core before transporting it out of the sector.”

Curious about the contents, a vanguard disciple stepped forward without waiting for a direct order. He reached out, unlatching the heavy metal seal of the nearest drum and lifting the lid.

”Aaaagh! NO! HELP ME!”

The disciple let out a horrific, blood-curdling scream. The moment the air inside the container escaped, his flesh violently blackened. In less than three seconds, his body completely decomposed, his fluids evaporating instantly until nothing but a dried, hollow mummy slammed against the rocky floor.

The sudden, brutal death sent a wave of absolute shock through the ranks. The remaining soldiers let out cries of pure terror, instantly retreating several meters backward as they stared at the metal containers with horrified eyes.

Ethan walked straight toward the open container, completely ignoring the panicked retreating of the guards. He peered over the metal rim. Inside was a thick, viscous black fluid that looked exactly like crude oil, emitting a putrid, suffocating stench that made the air shimmer.

”I see...” Ethan muttered, his amethyst eyes widening slightly as he analyzed the liquid matrix. ”This sector is significantly more valuable than I initially calculated... exponentially more valuable.”

He turned sharply, his gravelly voice cutting through the tense silence.

”Vice Leader, assemble the generals this exact millisecond. I need an emergency strategic consultation with all high-ranking commanders immediately,” Ethan commanded. ”As for the rest of you, establish a strict defensive perimeter. Absolutely no one is permitted to approach this entrance within a one-kilometer radius.”

The disciples and lower officers stared at him, frozen in fear.

”The atmospheric toxic saturation here is far too high,” Ethan barked, his tone leaving zero room for hesitation. ”You will all end up as dried corpses if you do not execute an immediate retreat. Discard your current outer armor, locate the nearest river basin, and thoroughly wash your skin right now!”

The soldiers didn’t wait for a second warning. Breaking into an immediate, orderly sprint, the vanguard fled down the mountain slope to execute his medical orders.

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From this moment forward, to avoid confusion regarding cultivation ranks, I will include this footer with the current established levels.

Note: These are only the ranks mentioned so far to avoid spoilers.

Body Refinement Realm

Skin Refinement / Bone Refinement / Organ Refinement

Spiritual Gathering Realm

Spiritual Perception / Spiritual Mist / Spiritual Condensation

Spiritual Core Realm

Core Solidification / Core Awakening / Spiritual Collapse (Half-step Spiritual Core)

Spiritual Soul Realm

Spiritual Soul Awakening / Soul Nourishing / Soul-Core Fusion

Golden Core Realm

Prime Fusion / Core Perfection / Core Destruction

Spiritual Sea Realm

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??

Dao Manifestation Realm

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??

Spiritual Transcendence

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??

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Sword mastery levels

Sword Intent.

Sword Aura.