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

Chapter 719: Chapter 719: The Master Plan Unfolds

Ethan finally turned toward the crowd just as General Boros sat up, flexing his newly formed shoulder. ”Easy, General. Take it slow. You were very close to death’s door. I managed to completely purge the Lich’s curse, so there shouldn’t be any residual damage left behind.”

Boros rotated his arm, his eyes wide. ”I feel excellent. I feel completely as new, ready for battle!”

The room fell into an even deeper shock. If the elders had previously assumed the divine medicine merely closed physical wounds, they now realized its effects were far more miraculous. The potion had fully restored the general’s depleted spiritual energy. Every single one of those vials effectively represented a peak-tier general instantly brought back to maximum combat capacity from the brink of death.

Ethan picked up five of the nine vials from the table and walked directly toward the Sect Leader. Bowing respectfully, he offered them to her. ”Sect Leader, as per our prior establishment, half of the refined vials belong to the sect. Fortunately, I managed to adequately complete this initial batch, though I exhausted all the available alchemical resources on this vessel. I hope you do not blame me.”

Annie let out a sharp, ironic laugh. Blame him for saving one of her top generals? She would have sacrificed the entire battleship without hesitation for Boros’s life. Flying vessels could be rebuilt or purchased, but a loyal general at the peak of the Spirit Sea realm was entirely irreplaceable.

”You did exceptionally well,” Annie said, casually sweeping the five vials into her spatial ring.

The effortless movement made the hearts of every elder and pavilion master in the room practically bleed with envy.

She then turned her gaze to the empty container Ethan had used earlier. ”Is this the liquid that allowed you to neutralize the energy?”

”Yes, Sect Leader,” Ethan replied, pulling two more specialized jade vials from his robes. Even though the dark liquid was securely sealed inside the high-grade jade, a palpable chill radiated from the containers, making the air freeze as if he were holding a highly venomous beast. ”This is the raw essence extracted from the subterranean structure.”

”Is this everything that was down there?” she inquired, her diagonally split pupils narrowing.

”No, Sect Leader. Down below, the Water of the Dead is pooled in exaggerated quantities, like regular rainwater after a storm. Unfortunately, I lacked the specialized containers to harvest more, otherwise, I could have refined a much larger quantity of the divine medicine.”

Ethan then shifted his expression, letting a wave of sudden anxiety and grief wash over his face as he looked around the room. ”Where is Elder Heidy? Did she make it out?”

Annie’s expression turned grim. ”We were unable to extract her. The subterranean abyss is heavily fortified by the undead vanguard. We halted our advance to ascertain the exact situation before launching a full recovery operation. We need you to tell us exactly what resides within that tomb.”

Ethan’s shoulders trembled, and tears actually began to stream down his face, adding a masterful layer of realism to his performance. ”It was a nightmare, Sect Leader... There are thousands, perhaps millions of undead entities down there. Deep within the cavern, there is a massive ancient gate. We couldn’t even approach it. The moment we entered its perimeter, they caught our scent and launched a full-scale ambush. Elder Heidy deployed her maximum sword aura to cover my retreat... but I could do nothing to help her. There were simply too many!”

Annie spoke with cold pragmatism, her expression unreadable. ”If what you say is accurate, Heidy is almost certainly dead. The loss of an elder with her potential is beyond what the sect can easily bear. I will order her name to be inscribed on the primary altar of the Heavenly Sword Pavilion to properly honor her sacrifice.”

The surrounding generals and elders nodded solemnly, murmuring sweet words of condolence and praise for the fallen elder.

”Since the core leadership is gathered here, I will summon the Ancestor,” Annie continued, her tone dropping to a serious whisper. ”This subterranean anomaly is beyond my current capability to clear. There are no outsiders in this room; you all know my dual pupils allow me to manifest a fully formed Sword Heart, but the effect is temporary. I cannot sustain it continuously, and I barely managed to eliminate three of their high-tier entities. If Ethan’s report is accurate, there are far more of those creatures waiting below. We need the Ancestor’s intervention.”

Every high official nodded in agreement, including the Master of the Alchemy Pavilion. Though he burned with intense jealousy toward Ethan, he understood the sheer wealth at stake. He knew he could play the long game; there was no need to show open animosity toward the young medic. If he could integrate the boy into his own faction or secure the formula for the divine potion, his benefits would be astronomical. Causing trouble now would yield nothing.

Annie reached into her spatial ring and pulled out a golden, heavily runed parchment. She tore it open instantly.

A violent surge of spiritual pressure flooded the medical bay as a tiny fragment of a soul materialized, instantly expanding into a massive, terrifying aura ready to slaughter anything in its path. This emergency scroll had been given to Annie by her grandfather, the Ancestor, as an absolute last resort. If she tore it, it meant she was on the verge of death.

”Calm down, you old green-tailed dog,” Annie said flatly, reprimanding the raging spirit. ”There are no enemies around us.”

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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

The Melting Tide / The Tidal Horizon / The Sea Mist Ascension

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.