My Descendants Are My Power

Chapter 339 No... It was far, far worse

"Back then, Azure Cloud was on the verge of defeat.

The Druids possessed a powerful artifact, forcing us to retreat at every turn.

We had no choice but to wage a war of attrition, gathering the strength of the entire county.

It took three hundred years of relentless effort, sacrificing countless mystical artifacts and pouring our very life force into the endeavor, before the Sky Palace finally manifested!"

Warren Daoist's face paled as he listened to the boy's words.

It was difficult to fathom the desperation that must have gripped Cloudview County in those dark times, the sacrifices those Psychics had made, willingly surrendering their most prized mystical equipment and ability weapons.

"The Sky Palace was but a skeletal framework," the boy continued, his voice filled with a mixture of awe and sorrow, "yet even in that incomplete state, it possessed unimaginable power."

"As its sentience grew, so too did its memories of that bygone era.

To think, you believed that severing your worldly ties was the key to unlocking its power!

Without the weight of responsibility upon your shoulders, without the unwavering determination to protect those you hold dear, the Sky Palace would never have even acknowledged your existence."

The boy's explanation struck Warren Daoist like a bolt of lightning, illuminating the path he had so blindly strayed from.

"No wonder... No wonder!

We have been misguided for generations!

It all makes sense now, why the Sky Palace has always regarded us with such indifference."

The boy sighed, his youthful features etched with a wisdom that belied his age.

"Tell me, Warren Daoist, where is the Sky Palace now?"

A wry smile spread across Warren Daoist's face as he replied, "It is in the possession of my disciple."

"Oh?" The boy's eyes twinkled with amusement.

"You seem rather confident in this disciple of yours."

"Indeed, Grandmaster."

Warren Daoist's thoughts drifted back to Marcus, his troubled yet determined student.

"He has endured much hardship in his life, his path fraught with misfortune.

Among the Blackwoods, he may not be considered exceptional, and the trials he has faced have taken their toll.

But I know this much: Marcus carries the blood of the Blackwoods in his veins, and he is a man of unwavering loyalty and compassion."

"One day, he will emerge from the shadows, and he will make me prouder than I could ever imagine."

"The day he breaks free from his cocoon and takes flight!"

The boy nodded slowly, sensing the unwavering conviction in Warren Daoist's voice.

"I, too, hope to witness this disciple's transformation."

"That day will come, Grandmaster.

It will come."

Warren Daoist's smile widened, his eyes shining with pride.

Then, a thought occurred to him.

"Grandmaster, if you would indulge an old fool's curiosity... what is the true purpose of the Sky Palace?"

"It is..." the boy paused, his gaze turning distant, as if peering into the depths of time itself, "a weapon."

...

"Clang!!!"

Within the Heavenly Path Psychic Sanctuary, Marcus's desperate plea, "Sky Palace, lend me your strength!" was answered with the deafening screech of grinding metal.

Behind him, the black celestial canopy formed by the Sky Palace flickered, the watery Asura warrior and the fiery inferno within vanishing without a trace, replaced by an abyss of pure, unadulterated power.

Neil, her form shimmering with golden energy, felt a shiver run down her spine.

The Sky Palace had fallen silent, the flames that had engulfed Marcus's body were fading, his psychic powers clearly exhausted.

Even the nine mystical flames that danced around him, his constant companions, were on the verge of dissipating.

Yet, the faint hum emanating from the Sky Palace filled Neil with a sense of unease, a primal fear that stayed her hand.

She couldn't explain it, but something told her that finishing off Marcus now would be a grave mistake.

However, her intuition was lost on the surviving Parker elder.

Wounded and terrified, desperate to prove his loyalty and save his own skin, he saw only weakness in Marcus's fading aura.

Ignoring his injuries, he launched himself into the air, positioning himself between Neil and his intended victim.

"Neil, there's no need to waste your energy on this insignificant whelp," he snarled, his eyes fixed on Marcus with murderous intent.

"This Blackwood brat dared to challenge the might of the Parker family!

Allow me to relieve him of his miserable existence!"

Neil frowned, her keen eyes seeing through the elder's desperate ploy.

She simply smiled, a silent acquiescence, and took a step back, gracefully dismissing her ability weapons.

Marcus remained suspended in mid-air, his body hunched, like a wounded wolf.

And then, Neil witnessed a sight that would forever be etched into her memory.

The Parker elder, his body surging with natural energies, summoned his innate ability weapon, a golden spear, and charged towards Marcus.

"Crack... Crack... Crack..."

A sickening sound, like shattering glass, filled the air.

Behind Marcus, the Sky Palace began to crumble, its once-impregnable surface splitting apart.

The wounded wolf raised its head, its eyes blazing with defiance.

Neil met Marcus's gaze, her body trembling uncontrollably.

His eyes, once filled with fear and uncertainty, now burned with a cold, steely resolve, like twin stars piercing through the veil of night.

Everything was breaking apart.

The Parker elder's spear, mere inches from Marcus's chest, froze in mid-air, as if time itself had ground to a halt.

The Sky Palace, its dark, celestial form now a maelstrom of swirling fragments, drifted towards Marcus, each piece pulsing with an ancient, terrifying power.

The sheer pressure emanating from the disintegrating artifact was enough to paralyze the Parker elder, a cultivator at the peak of Competent Force, rendering him utterly helpless.

The world seemed to hold its breath, color draining from the sky as the Sky Palace, this terrifying instrument of destruction, was reborn.

The fragments, as if possessing a will of their own, spiraled around Marcus, converging, coalescing, until they formed a magnificent, terrifying weapon: a halberd, its blade shimmering with the light of a thousand stars.

"What... What is this?!"

The Parker elder's eyes widened in horror, his voice a strangled gasp.

He could feel the terrifying power emanating from the halberd, its presence suffocating, inescapable.

It was like staring into the abyss, its depths unknowable, its power absolute.

The pressure bearing down on him was more terrifying than anything he had ever experienced, even Neil's grinding wheel paled in comparison.

No... It was far, far worse.

Marcus's voice, devoid of any emotion, cut through the silence.

His words, however, were not directed at the terrified elder, but at Neil, who was already backing away, her initial confidence shattered.

"Now... who is the frog at the bottom of the well?"

"Who is the pathetic fool?!"

...

"Crack! Crack! Crack!"

The sound of shattering and reformation continued to echo through the air.

As Marcus gripped the halberd, its starry surface seemed to flow onto him, his body taking on the same celestial hue.

His wounds healed instantly, his aura surging with newfound power.

The nine mystical flames, the Azurewood Branch, and the Heavenly Path Tear, all residing within the Sky Palace, were now flowing into him, their power merging with his own.

The once-impenetrable shell of the Sky Palace seemed to fuse with his flesh, making him as unyielding as the artifact itself.

He had never felt such power before.

With a single clench of his fist, he felt like he could shatter mountains, control the very fabric of reality.

And...

Within a radius of hundreds of feet, everything was under his control, suppressed by the overwhelming power of the Sky Palace.

Unless his opponents possessed the strength to break free from the combined might of his three mystical artifacts, they were utterly at his mercy.

"Neil... Neil, help me!"

The elder's desperate cries pierced through Marcus's thoughts, drawing his attention to the pathetic figure struggling futilely against the invisible force that held him captive, his previous arrogance replaced with abject terror.

"You think she can save you?

Look around, old man.

See where your precious Neil has run."

Marcus lifted his left hand, releasing the pressure on the elder's throat.

The elder turned his head stiffly, his eyes widening in horror as he realized...