"Kill me… but before I die, I have one request: spare the other four."
Yù Tiānxīn faced life and death with calm resolve.
He didn't fully understand Ignaz, but he had witnessed everything that had happened.
The man before him was no longer the Ignaz of the Spirit Master Tournament—he was now someone holding a deep grudge against the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
That grudge stemmed, in part, from Yù Tiānhéng. Though Yù Tiānhéng was dead, the animosity would not simply vanish.
Hearing this, Ignaz felt a flicker of respect for Yù Tiānxīn.
"You're the only one in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan worth acknowledging, Yù Tiānxīn.
Had you not been born into that clan, we might have been kindred spirits. But our paths diverge, and today, all of you must die.
I never leave myself any trouble behind."
Yù Tiānxīn laughed loudly, while the four behind him stared warily at Ignaz hovering in the air.
"Tiānxīn, let's attack together. Even if we can't kill him, we'll at least tear some skin off."
"Fifth Spirit Skill!"
Before the five could fully release their fifth skills, the surrounding air was drained, and they involuntarily floated. Soon, their bodies fell one by one.
Ignaz collected all their storage rings.
Out of respect, he did not absorb Yù Tiānxīn's life force but instead buried him in a serene location—a final honor for an old friend.
Ignaz carefully inspected two exquisitely crafted storage rings, checking their contents one by one.
"Good. Two Spatial Keys. Now, we just need to wait three years until the teleportation formation activates, and then I can return to Douluo Continent."
"But before that…"
His gaze slowly turned toward the place he had come from—the Death Valley that inverted the world through the night.
"Garuda, it's time we settled this."
He sped toward the cave, following the marked path downward. Four hours later, Ignaz arrived at the place of his previous fall.
He looked up at the fissure, from which came a chorus of shrill cries, like newborns wailing, growing louder as they approached.
Unfazed, Ignaz gripped his Blood Thunder Battle Spear tightly and shot toward the fissure. Just as he neared it, he activated his teleportation skill.
A massive crimson energy sphere struck toward him—but thanks to his preemptive teleport, it missed.
Hovering in the dim night sky, Garuda sensed Ignaz's presence. Furious, it roared,
"Damn human! How dare you steal my immortal herb and show your face before me! Today, your luck runs out. I will devour you completely!"
Wild winds swept the area as countless strands of blood energy surged into Garuda's body.
Three terrifying crimson energy phantoms of Garuda split from it and lunged at Ignaz.
Just as Ignaz emerged from teleportation, he saw the three energy phantoms closing in—less than 300 meters away. With no time to evade, he unleashed his Sixth Spirit Skill, Evil Demon Destruction Strike.
A blood-red phantom of an Evil Demon Tiger Whale King charged at one of Garuda's phantoms.
The collision produced an immense energy wave, shattering another phantom.
The remaining third phantom barreled straight at Ignaz. At the last second, he used his Spirit Bone skill, Void, narrowly avoiding the strike.
But the phantom quickly turned, attacking again. Ignaz had no choice but to use his Sixth Spirit Skill again to forcibly eliminate it.
"Human, you're courting death!"
Garuda, enraged, unleashed its strongest domain—a 100,000-year ability: the Garuda Domain.
Blood poured from its body, raising countless skeletal armies from the ground, all charging at Ignaz.
"Just a mere human? Within my domain, you are doomed."
Amused by Garuda's arrogance, Ignaz lightly smiled and swiftly activated his Second Spirit Wheel.
"Endless, boundless blood energy flows toward your true master."
In an instant, the skeletal armies turned to ash, and their blood energy surged toward Ignaz.
Garuda's domain visibly loosened and gradually decomposed into blood energy.
"What have you done, human? My nourishment… my children!"
"Ah—"
As Garuda attempted to release its strongest skill again, it realized its blood energy was rapidly siphoning out, recombining into Ignaz's hands and Blood Eyes.
Without the aid of blood energy, Garuda, though still a 100,000-year spirit beast, had its power severely diminished.
"You've forced my hand, damn human."
Garuda's red eyes darkened, and its once-dark red feathers turned a shocking crimson, radiating a violent blood-like glow.
Blood seeped from its body, dripping from its feathers to the ground.
"Blood Sea Rising."
Thousands of Garuda feathers, carrying its life essence, surged toward Ignaz.
He immediately activated his Blood Eyes, ready to completely decompose this 100,000-year spirit beast's life essence—but to no avail.
Ignaz had no time to hesitate. Alternating between Void and Teleportation, he dodged Garuda's attacks while swinging his Blood Thunder Battle Spear.
"Sea Wave Trick · Sky-Rending Sea Strike!"
While Garuda was still restricted, Ignaz unleashed his First Spirit Skill along with his first self-created Spirit Skill.
The Blood Thunder Battle Spear, amplified by the First Spirit Skill, shot toward Garuda with blinding speed.
Puchi—
The spear pierced through Garuda's iron-like feathers and into its throat. The 100,000-year spirit beast was obliterated.
Ignaz sat cross-legged before the fallen Garuda, embedding a red Spirit Ring onto his Blood Thunder Battle Spear and absorbing its 100,000-year left arm bone.
Hours later, a towering crimson light pillar erupted from the bottom of Death Valley, shaking the entire Dragon Tomb and the two inverted worlds.
Ignaz slowly opened his eyes. He had reached level 74 cultivation, carrying four 100,000-year spirit bones and a nearly 40,000-year head bone.
His overall strength could rival any Titled Douluo below level 95.