As soon as the duo vanished into the mist, hundreds of dragons from every clan except the Zephyr and Éclair Clans emerged at the boundary of the Riftland, surrounding its borders.
"What is the meaning of this?" Frederick asked, his brows furrowing at the massive forms of dragons that continued swarming the borders of the Riftland.
"They are merely here to ensure His Highness does not escape the Riftland," Amon said with a smirk. "The Sovereign gave His Highness one year to hide within the Riftland. He never mentioned anything about the land outside," he clarified before Frederick could even argue.
"So the five dragon clans intend to station their entire force along the boundary of the Riftland," Frederick sighed. "Keep this in mind. His Highness will remember these actions when he returns after thirty-nine years, and he is not someone who lets go of a grudge."
"You—" Before Amon could snap back, Frederick had already vanished, leaving snowflakes drifting where he had stood.
"Hmph, as if he could survive the Riftland," Amon scoffed. "Even the Soul Cleansing Pagoda has limited power. It might function for at most one or two years. With that cursed couple only at the Transcendent Realm, there is no way they could survive the relentless fury of the Riftland."
---
As Maximilian flew through the mountains and the grey mist, tightly holding Evangeline beneath him, the mist around them began shifting into monstrous figures and disfigured human faces. The creatures screamed as they lunged at the duo with claws and fangs bared.
If not for the thick silhouette of Death Lightning enveloping them, they would have already been torn apart by those souls.
The moment the souls touched the Death Lightning, they were instantly burned into nothingness.
"My Lord, is it manageable?" Evangeline asked, her voice filled with concern.
"Of course," Maximilian laughed. "I’m not even using a drop of my power. The Death Lightning truly is their greatest nemesis."
Once they had passed beyond the mountains, Maximilian descended. Surprisingly, the grey mist covered only the upper layer of the atmosphere, like a sea of clouds preventing anyone from entering or trapping those already inside.
The disfigured souls did not pursue them beneath the veil of mist. Beyond it lay a desolate wasteland shrouded in perpetual darkness, where jagged cliffs and uneven terrain stretched endlessly toward the horizon. The air reeked of blood and decay, while deafening roars and agonized screeches echoed from every direction. Demonic monsters and cursed beasts roamed the barren land in countless numbers, locked in savage battles as they tore into one another with a single purpose, to devour and grow stronger.
"The Death Energy is so intense here," Maximilian exclaimed, taking a deep breath. "Am I perhaps in heaven?"
As the Dragon of Death, he naturally felt more comfortable in this place. It was as though he had returned home.
"I think Hell is a better word to describe this place," Evangeline said, shaking her head with a weary sigh.
As they ventured deeper, the Death Energy grew even denser, and increasingly powerful beasts came into view, although none of them could attack the duo soaring high above.
Maximilian slowed to a halt in midair. His golden eyes glowed, his vertical pupils narrowing as he activated his Divine Sense.
"At my current level, I can only go another hundred kilometres deeper before the Death Energy becomes overwhelming even for me," he revealed in a serious tone. "We should settle our home first."
"Unh," Evangeline nodded.
He turned back, returning to the point where the terrain gave way to mountains.
"Even at the edge, the monsters are as strong as cultivators at the Awakened Sage Realm," he revealed as he descended to the ground.
Even after Evangeline separated from him, the armour of Death Lightning continued covering her body without ever touching her skin.
The moment their feet touched the ground, every monster in the vicinity charged at them with erratic movements and piercing screeches.
Evangeline formed a series of hand signs, causing multiple blue magical circles to materialize above her head.
With a wave of her hand, beams of blue lightning shot forth from the circles, striking the incoming monsters.
Thunder roared across the land as the blue lightning completely obliterated them.
Meanwhile, Maximilian chose a far more brutal approach. His jaw stretched wide until it reached his ears as he opened his mouth. His teeth became jagged, and the inside of his mouth turned pitch black as dark lightning converged, forming a compressed sphere.
"ROAR OF DRAGON!"
A deafening roar swept through the area, its sheer force shaking the land beneath them. Every monster that heard the roar died instantly, their dark eyes rolling back.
In an instant, thousands of monsters collapsed lifelessly. Not a single monster remained alive within a radius of fifty kilometres.
"How brutish," Evangeline scoffed, lowering her hand. The magical circles vanished behind her.
Naturally, Maximilian had enough control over his Soulforce to ensure that only his intended targets were affected by his Dragon Roar.
"I’ll take that as a compliment," Maximilian chuckled at Evangeline’s remark.
He took the Golden Pagoda out of his storage pouch and tossed it onto the ground before him.
The moment it landed, it rapidly expanded until it became as large as Maximilian’s transformed form. Its radiant light bathed their faces in gold. Yang energy spread outward from the structure, forcing the surrounding dark energy to recede.
"It is even smaller than my room," Maximilian sighed, shaking his head in disappointment.
"If Lord Frederick heard you say those words, he might cough up blood in fury," Evangeline said, lightly facepalming. "You should be grateful that we at least have a decent place to stay."
"But I didn’t want you to spend your newlywed days in a small pagoda like this," Maximilian whined. "Was this cursed scenery not already bad enough?"
"Oh? I wonder who the idiot was that called this place heaven?" Evangeline teased, touching her chin with her index finger in a thoughtful gesture. "Besides, who said we are married?"
"H-how could you say that?" Maximilian exclaimed, his jaw dropping. "We even shared Soulwine."
"You mean how you forcefully shoved it into my mouth?" Evangeline asked, leaning forward until her serene face was only a few inches away from Maximilian’s.
"Whatever it was, we are married," Maximilian muttered with a frown, averting his eyes. "I am your husband now. Didn’t you address me as such back in the room as well?"
"I understand, I understand, my adorable husband," Evangeline chuckled, ruffling Maximilian’s hair before entering the pagoda.
"Wa-wait for me," Maximilian called as he hurried after her with crimson cheeks.
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