The ten 7-star realm experts finally realized that something was terribly wrong.
A month ago, Alaric Von Seraph had fought the ten of them alone using only the Divine avatar. He had relied on nothing else. That battle had ended in a stalemate. They had even believed that he had been injured afterward.
But now…
He was using ultimate techniques as if they were ordinary moves.
Not only that—he looked relaxed.
Too relaxed.
Jake himself quickly discovered the terrifying truth of the Peak Strength experience card. No matter how much energy he consumed, the mana inside his body was instantly replenished to its maximum state. The moment a technique was executed, the next wave of mana surged in before exhaustion could even appear.
This was not simply "peak" strength.
This was like having an endless amount of mana.
An item like this was worthy of being called unbearably heaven-defying.
Jake immediately understood its true value. He only had two more of these cards. Wasting even a single second of their power would be stupidity.
If that was the case…
Then this battle had to end quickly.
Below him, the battlefield had already fallen into chaos. The sword beam from the Imperfect Divine Intervention had torn through the righteous ranks like a god's scythe. Hundreds of so-called righteous warriors were killed instantly. The rest had already broken into blind panic.
Fear spread faster than any blade ever could.
They fled in every direction like frightened birds. Flying swords scattered across the sky. Chariots overturned mid-air. Spiritual beasts howled in terror as they attempted to escape with their masters.
Jake swept his gaze across the battlefield. In the space of only a few breaths, the low-level cultivators around him had already retreated completely.
No one dared remain near him anymore.
How could they?
Even the ten 7-star experts had begun to retreat.
Jake did not pursue the fleeing mass. Even with Peak Strength, he was still alone. He could not split himself to chase tens of thousands of targets at once.
Instead, his eyes locked onto the ten figures trying to escape at high speed.
"Trying to leave?" Jake said calmly. "You're too slow."
The moment his figure blurred, it vanished from its original position.
Sylas's pupils contracted violently as he looked up.
"Soul Chase…"
Lucien felt his scalp go numb. "Brother Sylas… what… what are we supposed to do now?"
"How would I know?" Sylas replied hoarsely.
Isolde's face turned pale as she whispered, "Then… why don't we run too?"
Seraphina shook her head immediately, in great confidence. "You can't escape. Master will catch you."
The three of them fell silent.
The despair in their hearts deepened.
Soul Chase was a true, mighty divine ability of a 7-star realm expert. Its only weakness was its terrifying energy consumption. But now… energy consumption did not exist for their master.
At that moment, they finally understood something they had never considered before.
Their master had never been weak.
He had simply chosen to act weak.
Their thoughts turned chaotic.
What kind of plan required pretending for an entire month?
Why had he allowed Elder Senior Brother and the others to betray him so openly?
Why had he endured humiliation at the mountain gate when he possessed such terrifying strength?
The answers were all too frightening to continue guessing.
In the sky ahead, Orion was fleeing with his full speed. Cold sweat soaked through his robes as he kept glancing backward. Behind him, the righteous cultivators scattered in complete disorder, like a flock of sheep fleeing from a wolf.
Then a familiar voice sounded calmly before him.
"I waited for you for a while. Why are you only arriving now?"
Orion's heart nearly stopped.
He halted abruptly in mid-air and saw Jake standing quietly before him.
Too fast.
Far too fast.
The suppression between them was absolute.
"Al… Alaric… Old Master..." Orion's back turned icy cold.
"Where did your arrogance go from earlier?" Jake asked indifferently.
"You… don't push me too far!" Orion roared, secretly suppressing the trembling in his hands.
"And what will you do if I do?" Jake replied.
Orion swallowed hard and forced himself to speak. "You've already used multiple ultimate skills in a row. Do you really think Soul Chase and Divine Avatar cost nothing? Even if you're at your peak, you will be exhausted soon!"
Before he could finish his words, Jake appeared in front of him once more.
At the same time, the towering divine avatar unfolded behind him once again.
The eight-petaled golden lotus rotated slowly beneath its feet, radiating terrifying pressure.
Orion's expression turned deathly pale.
Among all cultivators, only Alaric Von Seraph had possessed the eight-leaf form.
And the golden petals…
They were showing faint signs of division.
He stared in disbelief.
"I only know ultimate skills," Jake said calmly.
Orion could no longer resist.
His own avatar had already been used earlier.
Against this absolute suppression, he could not even raise the thought of resistance.
He raised his hand weakly. "Sto—"
Jake shook his head lightly. "I'm sorry. I can't."
The avatar descended.
The sky trembled violently.
The earth roared.
It was like a mountain crushing down on an ant.
There was no resistance.
No struggle.
Orion vanished entirely, leaving not even a trace behind.
Jake hovered quietly in the sky for a moment and checked the remaining Peak Form time.
There was still some time left.
But there was no need to continue the chase. The remaining nine 7-star experts had already fled in nine different directions. Even if he killed one or two more, it would not change the outcome of the battle.
Once the Peak Strength ended, his situation would become dangerous again.
This power could reverse fate.
But it could not be abused.
With the remaining time, Jake activated Soul Chase once more and returned to the Mountain.
Once he did...
A familiar notification echoed in Jake's mind.
*Ding! Prerequisite quest completed.
Main Quest Activated: Tame the rebellious Disciples.
Task 1: Increase Seraphina's loyalty above 80%.
Task 2: Punish the three traitorous disciples.
Jake felt no joy at all.
He only felt tired.
"This system is really stingy," he muttered quietly. "I repelled tens of thousands of warriors and killed a 7-star expert, yet it didn't give me a single reward."
The final countdown ended.
The overwhelming power vanished instantly from his body.
Weakness flooded back.
The sky returned to normal.
Jake exhaled slowly.
So this was the gap between true strength and borrowed strength.
When he returned to the mountain entrance, his three wounded disciples and Seraphina were already kneeling there.
He steadied his breathing and calmed his expression.
As their master…
He had much to teach next...