Chapter 67: The Blood of Family

The first round of the elimination matches had ended, and the arena was no longer the same as it had been at the beginning.

The chaotic battles were over, leaving only the cultivators who had managed to prove their worth.

The judge stood at the center of the arena and announced the beginning of the next stage of the tournament.

The battles would no longer be group matches.

Each fight would feature only two contestants.

Names appeared in the sky, and one match after another began.

Some battles ended within moments, while others lasted much longer.

The audience watched every confrontation with great attention. It had become clear that even the slightest mistake at this stage could mean elimination from the tournament.

As time passed, the number of remaining contestants continued to decrease.

Then two new names appeared above the arena.

Gaya Netherval.

Against.

Lina Ashbourne.

The arena fell silent for a moment.

Then whispers spread through the stands.

"Ashbourne?"

"Isn't Lina Gaya's sister?"

"So we're going to witness a battle between members of the same family!"

The attention was no longer focused solely on the arena.

Even the major factions seated on the viewing platforms began watching with interest.

This was not merely a battle between two cultivators.

It was a confrontation between two sisters whose paths had separated many years ago.

Gaya entered first.

Her steps were calm, and there was no fear or nervousness on her face.

Moments later, Lina entered.

She stood at the opposite end of the arena.

She stared at Gaya for a long moment.

Lina was trying to comprehend the reality before her.

The girl she had once known had now reached the Peak of Immortal Ascension.

Yet Lina was not accustomed to seeing Gaya like this.

Gaya had been completely different in the past.

Withdrawn.

Quiet.

Always keeping away from others for fear of ridicule and humiliation.

But now...

She stood before her with unwavering composure.

As though the years between them had transformed her into someone else.

Lina stepped forward and spoke in the calm tone of someone accustomed to giving orders:

"Gaya, where have you been all these years? Our father has been worried about you."

Gaya smiled.

Then she let out a short laugh, as though she had just heard the funniest thing in her life.

"So you're saying he was worried?"

She paused.

Then added with a faintly mocking smile:

"Well... well."

She was silent for a moment before continuing:

"If that were true, then why didn't I feel even a trace of that overwhelming concern during the twenty-one years I lived with him?"

Gaya laughed dismissively.

Lina froze.

She had not expected that answer.

The Gaya standing before her was not the sister she remembered.

Lina clenched her teeth slightly and said:

"All right... all right."

She took a breath.

"You may be right. Perhaps our father and we, your sisters, neglected you and treated you with indifference in the past."

She looked directly at her.

"But now that you can cultivate and have reached the Peak of Immortal Ascension, you should return to the family and contribute to it."

She paused.

"After all, we are your only family."

Gaya laughed.

This time, her laughter was louder.

It was as though she could hardly believe what she was hearing.

But suddenly...

The laughter disappeared.

Her expression changed in an instant.

The amusement vanished from her eyes, replaced by a coldness so harsh that Lina felt a shiver run down her spine.

Gaya spoke in a low voice:

"So you're telling me to return to the family?"

She paused.

"You said family."

Her eyes rose toward Lina.

"But what about all those years of contempt, suffering, and humiliation I endured with this so-called family?"

Her voice hardened slightly.

"Am I supposed to pretend none of it ever happened?"

Lina's expression darkened.

She had no answer.

Gaya's words were harsh, but they were not without reason.

From the judges' platform, a man moved.

It was Jonathan Ashbourne.

Gaya and Lina's father.

He spoke in a calm voice filled with authority:

"Gaya, this is not the time to discuss these family matters."

Silence descended.

Gaya slowly turned toward the platform.

Her eyes remained fixed on Jonathan.

She stared at him for a long moment.

There was no fear in her eyes.

Only something closer to disbelief.

She opened her mouth to respond.

But another voice interrupted her.

It came from the highest throne.

Azrael's voice.

It was cold and distorted in a terrifying manner, like the voice of a demon emerging from the depths of Hell.

"And who are you to dictate to the wife of this sovereign what she should and should not say?"

The arena froze.

No one had expected him to intervene.

Even Jonathan stared at him in silence.

As for Gaya...

She turned toward Azrael.

For a brief moment, the harshness disappeared from her eyes, replaced by a clear trace of warmth.

Then she looked back at Lina.

Azrael continued without raising his voice:

"If she has something to say, then let her say it."

His gaze shifted directly toward Jonathan.

"And I don't believe you have the right to silence her."

Jonathan's expression hardened.

But he did not respond.

Azrael's position alone was enough to make confronting him unwise.

Lina felt that the situation was slipping beyond her control.

"I didn't mean to silence her."

She looked at Gaya.

"I only wanted us to talk as a family."

Gaya smiled faintly.

But this time, there was no mockery in it.

It was a sad smile.

"Family..."

She repeated the word softly.

Then raised her eyes toward Lina.

"Do you know what the problem is?"

Lina said nothing.

Gaya continued:

"You speak of family now, after I became strong."

Silence.

"If I had remained the way I was... weak, unable to cultivate, and isolated..."

She paused.

"Would you have stood before me now and said the same thing?"

Lina had no answer.

And her silence was enough.

Gaya's expression changed.

She was no longer angry.

But something inside her had been settled.

She said quietly:

"That's all I needed to know."

The judge raised his hand.

"Are you both ready?"

Lina placed a hand on her weapon.

Gaya lowered her stance and assumed a combat position.

"Begin!"

Lina immediately rushed forward.

Her speed was impressive as she charged toward Gaya with a direct attack.

Gaya moved to the side, allowing the strike to pass.

Lina turned and unleashed a spiritual technique toward her.

Gaya raised her hand and blocked the attack before retreating several steps.

She did not possess combat experience spanning centuries.

But the years she had spent under Olivia's guidance, the resources Azrael had provided her, and what she had learned from him after the descent of Abaddon City had made her combat style more efficient than that of most cultivators at her level.

She knew when to attack.

When to retreat.

And when to exploit her opponent's mistakes.

But she was not an invincible fighter.

She was still learning.

Lina charged again.

The two exchanged several blows.

Boom!

Their fists collided.

Gaya took half a step back.

Then she countered with a strike to Lina's shoulder.

Lina retreated while gritting her teeth.

The audience erupted into excited cries.

The battle was more even than many had expected.

But as time passed, the difference began to show.

Gaya read Lina's movements slightly faster.

She was not overwhelmingly stronger than her, but her superior combat experience allowed her to exploit Lina's mistakes repeatedly.

Lina launched a wide strike.

Gaya avoided it.

Then seized her arm.

She spun her body.

Boom!

Lina was thrown onto the ground.

She rolled several meters before coming to a stop.

She quickly raised her head.

Gaya was standing before her.

She said nothing.

Lina charged forward in anger.

But her anger made her movements easier to read.

Gaya avoided her attack and struck her in the abdomen.

Boom!

Lina staggered backward, struggling to breathe.

Then came another strike.

And another.

Gaya was not attacking recklessly.

Every blow targeted a different point until Lina gradually lost the ability to respond.

The audience's expressions changed.

The fight was no longer even.

Gaya had taken complete control.

Finally...

Lina was down on one knee, breathing heavily, while Gaya stood before her.

The judge looked at her condition.

"Lina! Can you continue?"

Lina raised her head.

She tried to stand.

Her leg trembled.

Yet she forced herself upright.

"I can."

Gaya looked at her.

Then said:

"Then come."

Lina rushed forward with everything she had left.

But Gaya moved at exactly the right moment.

She circled around her.

Then delivered a powerful strike to her side.

BOOM!

Lina was sent flying across the arena and crashed into the barrier.

She fell to the ground.

This time, she did not rise.

Silence descended.

The judge hurried toward her.

He began examining her condition, and his expression changed.

"Stop the match!"

The healing formations around the arena activated.

Lina's injuries were serious.

They were not life-threatening, but they were severe enough to force her out of the tournament and would affect her combat ability for a long time.

Gaya stood in the center of the arena.

She looked at her fallen sister.

She did not look happy.

Nor did she look regretful.

Her eyes carried a mixture of sadness and bitterness.

Then she said softly:

"I didn't want it to end like this."

She paused.

"But I won't return to the place that broke me."

Gaya left the arena.

On the Ashbourne platform, Jonathan stared at his injured daughter.

His expression was grim.

The other members of the family were visibly shocked.

This was no longer merely a battle in a tournament.

It had become a wound that could no longer be hidden.

Elsewhere in the arena...

Valeria watched Gaya.

She remembered what had happened in the past.

But this time, Gaya was no longer the girl her family could simply ignore.

She was a genuine force.

And she now stood beneath Azrael's banner.

On the highest throne, Azrael silently watched the scene.

When Gaya returned to his side, he raised his eyes toward her.

"Are you all right?"

Gaya nodded.

"Yes."

He studied her eyes for a moment.

Then said quietly:

"Good."

Gaya smiled faintly.

"I was a little angry."

"I noticed."

She laughed softly.

For a moment, some of her natural cheerfulness returned to her face.

But behind that smile...

The Ashbourne family had suffered a wound that would not heal easily.

At the same time, the judge announced the next match.

The tournament continued.

One after another, the remaining contestants entered the arena.

But everyone knew that what had happened between Gaya and Lina would remain the subject of discussion throughout the tournament.

As for Azrael...

He was not looking toward the past.

His eyes were fixed on the future.

After Gaya, there were still many battles to come.

And among those remaining contestants...

stood Alister.

The genius who did not yet know that the tournament he had entered to prove his glory would become the first spark of a war that would shake the entire world.