Chapter 222: Rumors, Forbidden Arts, and Dragon Gate

Rumors, Forbidden Arts, and Dragon Gate

Then someone else lowered their voice and offered the most shocking explanation of all.

The boy was rumored to be...

The Patriarch’s descendant!!

The entire Salvatore Family was shaken.

Conversations erupted everywhere.

In courtyards.

Along mountain paths.

Inside cultivation chambers.

Even among elders who normally spent hundreds of years without involving themselves in family gossip.

Everyone wanted to know who this mysterious Lucas was.

Who was his mother?

Who was his father?

Why had the Patriarch personally brought him to Sovereign Peak?

And most importantly—

Why had Victor never mentioned him before?

That very night, even Max Salvatore, Victor’s younger brother, could no longer restrain his curiosity.

The man arrived at Sovereign Peak in a hurry.

Max had shoulder-length black hair and deep black eyes.

He barely reached the summit before calling out.

"Brother!"

Victor glanced over.

Max straightened his clothes and cleared his throat.

"I heard that you brought a nephew—"

He never finished.

Victor lifted one foot.

BOOM!

Max was kicked straight off Sovereign Peak.

His figure disappeared down the mountain.

"What nonsense..." Victor muttered.

He sat upon the peak, shaking his head helplessly.

The rumors had become ridiculous.

It seemed that in every world, gossip spread faster than anything else.

Victor had no intention of wasting his time explaining himself.

Instead, he turned his attention toward the rewards he had just received.

He summoned the Eternal Dragon Blood Pill.

A golden-red pill appeared above his palm.

Its surface carried faint patterns resembling the scales of an ancient dragon.

Victor looked at it for a moment.

Then swallowed it directly.

The instant it entered his body—

BOOM!!

A violent pressure erupted.

The entire mountain trembled.

For an instant, a vast and magnificent true dragon seemed to rise inside Victor’s golden eyes.

Its body stretched through endless darkness.

Its roar shook the heavens.

Victor’s black hair whipped backward as an invisible force spread from his body.

With a single thought—

The surrounding space trembled.

The atmosphere itself seemed to bow.

Victor slowly clenched his fist.

The art of elixirs truly was miraculous.

Even something as intangible as one’s pressure could be transformed into a physical weapon of slaughter.

Victor’s eyes narrowed with interest.

With the Eternal Dragon Blood Pill, his pressure alone could rival a Saint-rank divine art.

That was not a small improvement.

It meant that against weaker enemies, he might not even need to raise his hand.

His presence alone could crush them.

Victor then turned his attention toward another reward.

The Abyssal Styx Great Laws of World Scripture.

He selected it from the system backpack.

Instantly—

A flood of ancient insights surged into the depths of his mind.

Countless images flashed before his eyes.

A dark river.

Endless souls.

Ancient beings kneeling beneath a blood-colored sky.

Chains binding the souls of countless cultivators.

Power flowing into one person before being mercilessly reclaimed.

Victor stood motionless.

His expression slowly became strange.

After fully comprehending the scripture, even his usual composure couldn’t prevent him from drawing a sharp breath.

The Abyssal Styx Great Laws of World Scripture was utterly merciless.

This technique allowed the target to borrow immense power from Victor.

But there was always a price.

Their lifespan.

Their cultivation.

Their future.

Everything could become payment.

And the most frightening part was what happened afterward.

Once someone tasted effortless power, they would crave it again.

The first time, they might borrow strength to survive.

The second time, they might borrow it to defeat an enemy.

The third time...

They might no longer be able to stop.

The power would become an addiction.

And once Victor reclaimed what he had given—

The agony would force them to beg for more.

Then more.

And more.

Until eventually, their cultivation and realm were completely drained.

Yet even that wasn’t the end.

The drained cultivator would become Victor’s puppet.

Their soul.

Their body.

Their thoughts.

Their logic.

Everything remained intact.

Yet deep within their soul, Victor’s commands would become absolute.

His words would be treated as divine law.

Victor’s eyes narrowed.

This scripture was terrifying.

Cruel.

Insidious.

No wonder Underworld River had become one of the fastest and strongest ancient beings recorded throughout history.

This sinister scripture was simply...

"Too interesting!"

Victor laughed.

His voice echoed across the empty peak.

All paths to power could be used.

Those who willingly allowed themselves to be seduced by such power had only themselves to blame.

Victor rested his chin against one hand, amusement flickering across his handsome face.

"It seems that soon, the realms will have a new forbidden legend."

He paused.

"Let me think... what should it be..."

A faint smile appeared.

"A magic stone that grants immense power? How does that sound..."

Victor mused aloud.

The idea amused him.

But there was no need to hurry.

That could wait.

For now, there were still other rewards to examine.

Victor selected the Ultimate Freedom Art.

The moment he chose to master it—

The world before his eyes changed.

Hundreds of millions of figures seemed to appear around him.

Each figure moved differently.

Some wielded blades.

Some fought with their bare hands.

Some crossed their legs beneath the stars.

Others danced between life and death.

Every movement contained profound Great Laws of World.

Every step carried the meaning of battle.

Every strike represented a different possibility.

Victor’s eyes remained calm.

In only a few moments—

He had completely mastered the ancient battle art.

A battle art that became stronger with every fight.

A perfect complement to his growing arsenal.

Next, Victor turned his attention toward another reward.

Dragon Gate Peak.

With a thought, the mysterious mountain appeared in a remote corner of the Sovereign Blessed Land.

It was majestic.

Ancient.

The summit seemed to pierce the clouds.

Victor examined its description again.

Those who crossed the Dragon Gate could become dragons.

Practice all arts upon this peak.

Ignore aptitude.

When fate arrived, even a mortal could ascend to the heavens.

Victor’s eyes carried a hint of curiosity.

Even he wanted to experience what it felt like to cross the Dragon Gate and become a dragon.