From Ruin to Reign Leander's Unbreakable Will novel Chapter 427

Leander's eyes flickered as he looked at the man in blue. He was a bit surprised. Back in Ravenridge, he had wiped out the Umbral Court by himself. In the end, this same man in blue had appeared and used the Arbitration Office's resources to save the last member of the Wraiths.

"The Lord of Umbral, huh," Leander muttered softly.

He remembered what Daphne had mentioned earlier about the talented man who once married into the Dual Meridian Sect. That story matched what Spearstorm and the others had told him about the Lord of Umbral. They were the same person. That explained why the Lord of Umbral had risen so quickly from obscurity to fame and had defeated the abbot of Ancient Lingster back then.

It turned out that he had been chosen by the former master of the Dual Meridian Sect to be her husband. They had trained together with the sect's techniques, which boosted his strength. That was how he managed to dominate the last Astria Power Index and win against many top practitioners.

The middle-aged woman standing beside the Lord of Umbral was probably the grandmother of the sect's heiress. She was also a practitioner at the Transcendent Realm.

"The Dual Insight Technique is indeed something."

Leander had seen brief mentions of it in a few books, but he had never taken it seriously. Now that he saw the Lord of Umbral in person, he felt surprised. The last time he saw him was three months ago. Back then, the man had reached only the Kindling Transcendent Realm. Now he had already advanced to Ember Transcendent.

People knew that every tier in the Transcendent Realm had a large gap. Moving up to the next tier usually took years. Some needed more than ten or even several decades and still could not reach the next level. That was why some old monsters who had stayed in the Transcendent Realm for decades or nearly a century were still stuck. They could not move forward at all.

Trying to climb another tier in a few months was almost impossible. A practitioner needed great talent and understanding. They also needed the right opportunity. Without that, there was almost no hope.

Leander himself could do it only because of "Devourer's Ninefold Path," which let him absorb others' power as his own. But the Lord of Umbral had managed it through the Dual Insight Technique. That was impressive, even to Leander.

His surprise faded quickly. He could tell that the Lord of Umbral's foundation was unstable. It seemed like a forced breakthrough. It was nothing compared to Leander's smooth and steady progress.

What surprised him even more was the woman beside the Lord of Umbral. Her cultivation was higher than his. She had already reached Blaze Transcendent.

The Lord of Umbral stepped forward and shielded Elara and the others. He looked at Darius and asked, "Darius, are you alright?"

Darius shook his head gently. A moment later, a mouthful of blood came up. Elara looked furious. "Grandpa, you must not let those Bloody Palm Sect b*stards go. They hurt Dad!"

The Lord of Umbral nodded and sent a stream of inner strength into Darius' body. Darius' expression eased as the redness faded from his face. His breathing steadied.

Then the Lord of Umbral turned to the two Transcendent Realm practitioners from the Bloody Palm Sect.

"Elder Grimshade, Elliot Palecrest, you two have been at the Transcendent Realm for decades. Don't you think it's beneath you to strike at a junior?" His tone was cold as he questioned them.

"Hmph."

The two men, one dark-skinned and one pale, both sneered.

"In this world, the strong rule and the weak fall. There's no such thing as senior or junior.

"Take the strongest man in Astria right now, the so-called Iron Sovereign. He's only in his twenties. The Arbitration Office sent countless elite Arbitrators after him. In the end, he killed every one of them. Was there any talk of fairness then?

"That alone proves there is no age or rank in martial arts. There is only strength and weakness. Your son-in-law was hurt because he wasn't strong enough. He has no one to blame but himself."

The Lord of Umbral let out a low grunt. He had no answer. The others from the Dual Meridian Sect stayed quiet.

"Bloody Palm Sect b*stards, always twisting words!"

Before he could speak again, the middle-aged woman beside him stepped forward. She raised her hand and sent out a palm strike.

A massive purple palm shadow formed, stretching more than thirty feet as it rushed toward the two men. Her strike was sharp and strong. The innate vitality coming from it made every young practitioner nearby tense up. This was the real power of the Transcendent Realm, the level they all hoped to reach someday.

"Hmph."

The two elders did not look afraid. Albert lifted his hand and met her strike head-on.

A loud boom echoed as their forces clashed. The shockwave spread through the hall and pushed strong gusts of wind over the guests. Tables and chairs nearly flipped over.

The Lord of Umbral moved quickly and raised a hand. A wave of energy spread out, shielding the crowd and keeping them safe.

"Princess Clara of the Shimmering Isle royal family, your strength is impressive. You are twenty years younger than we are, yet your power is already on par. The Dual Insight Technique must have its secrets."

Albert laughed and stroked his beard after blocking her strike. His eyes showed admiration.

The woman was indeed the former princess of the royal family of the Shimmering Isle. Her name was Clara Whitlock. Her father had been the last sovereign of the outer Shimmering Isle. The founder of the Bloody Palm Sect had killed him.

After the Shimmering Isle royal family fell, she hid in the Central Realm. She had secretly founded the Dual Meridian Sect to preserve her family's legacy.

A thin mist gathered around her palm as her eyes grew cold.

"Bloody Palm Sect b*stards, I'll kill every last one of you someday! Since you came here today, we'll settle this right now. As long as I'm alive, none of you will leave this place!"

Her voice carried a steady resolve. She was ready to fight.

The Lord of Umbral stepped beside her. Their auras blended as their strength aligned.

Elara, Lyra, and the others stayed alert. The Bloody Palm Sect had clearly come prepared. Two Transcendent Realm practitioners were already here. Their strongest members had shown up as well. A fierce battle was unavoidable.

"Haha, such big talk. But your sect doesn't have that kind of strength."

Felix, who had been knocked back earlier, had already recovered. He opened his folding fan and smiled with a wicked look.

"Today is the day the Dual Meridian Sect falls!"

He shouted, "Welcome, Lord Lloyd!"

The Lord of Umbral and Clara froze.

At such a desperate moment, the first person he thought of was the undefeated man he had met once.

During a Spirit Voice transmission, the lips barely moved, which left almost no trace. But someone like Reid would not be fooled.

He let out a cold chuckle and shook his head.

"Wyatt, even now, you think anyone from the Dual Meridian Sect can escape the Lyradon River alive? Don't kid yourself."

He pointed his finger. The space around Elara and the others rippled. Invisible walls of energy formed, trapping them completely.

"Today, every person in the Dual Meridian Sect will die."

His words sent chills down everyone's spine. He did not plan to destroy only the sect. He planned to wipe out every living person.

"Kian, what do we do? Should we run?"

A small female swordswoman from Mount Sect whispered nervously beside Kian.

Kian had already recovered from his earlier defeat. His eyes were sharp, but he shook his head.

"Don't panic," he said. "Don't forget. He's still here."

His gaze moved toward Leander's direction.

At Leander's table, the Clarke siblings were already pale with fear. They had traveled from the northwest only to attend the Dual Meridian Sect's suitor-selection ceremony. They never thought they would get caught in such chaos.

Now, an Infernal Crown Transcendent was here, threatening to kill everyone. Who could stop him?

A clear and steady voice came from behind them.

"Such arrogance from outsiders," it said.

Everyone froze. They were shocked that someone dared to speak at a moment like this. Even Reid turned to look.

A young man with black hair and dark eyes leaned casually in his chair. He opened his palm and smiled faintly.

"I didn't care about your grudge with the Dual Meridian Sect," he said. "But since you plan to kill everyone here, I want to see if you really have that ability."

His voice was calm. His smile looked relaxed.

The Lord of Umbral, who had been tense only a moment earlier, suddenly looked overjoyed.