Henry was the second to escape from the collapsing chamber, right behind Nicholas. Eric followed close after. Last of all came Andrew, still locked in a deadly contest of inner strength with Alistair.

Both men surged upward out of the pit, their bodies wreathed in violent waves of energy. Alistair’s black robe whipped and snapped without wind as he barked coldly, “Dorian, take the saintess and guard her well. As for Andrew… today I will make him pay in blood!”

He was able to suppress Andrew with just one hand. Then, with his free hand, he sent both the stone platform and Shiloh straight toward Dorian. With both hands now free, Alistair conjured a ball of black mist in his palm and slammed it toward Andrew.

The two forces collided: Alistair’s dark, rolling power against Andrew’s blazing heat. At the martial saint level, the competition was no longer just about techniques. What was truly deadly was the cultivation of true power itself.

Relying on nearly a century of martial cultivation and the dark arts of the Crimson Flame Cult, Alistair’s attacks rolled with darkness, his momentum reaching overwhelming proportions. Meanwhile, Andrew held firm within a three-foot radius around himself. The protective energy around his body alternated between crimson red and deep blue. He was simultaneously channeling both the flame power of his Inferno Strike and his own internal cultivation to resist Alistair.

‘He actually mastered two different sources of power,’ Alistair thought, his heart pounding in shock. ‘He cannot be some nameless figure in Holtrien. He must be cut down today. If I cannot kill him here, then I will have him hunted down and erased. Otherwise, he will grow into a mortal enemy of our Cult.’

As the thought raced through his mind, Alistair’s hands came together. In front of his chest, a massive sphere of energy condensed, compressing tighter and tighter until it was no bigger than a clenched fist. Then, he thrust it straight at Andrew.

Even the air seemed to be drained at that moment. This dark energy ball instantly reached Andrew’s vicinity and pierced through his protective energy barrier. An incomparable explosion erupted at the high ground of the McDaniel family estate, and the remaining half of the McDaniel family chapel collapsed completely. The important site that honored more than a dozen family ancestors was destroyed instantly.

Those who rushed to the scene stood frozen in disbelief. Nicholas himself twitched, his face twisted with barely restrained rage. At that moment, he wanted to rip apart not only Andrew but also the Crimson Flame Cult.

“Now you should be on your way to hell,” Alistair rasped from beneath his robe, his voice cold and merciless. Hunching slightly, he turned and began to walk away.

From behind him came a voice, cold and mocking. “Your Eminence, leaving already? But I’m not finished with you yet… old man.”

Those last two words were spat from Andrew’s teeth like venom.

As the dust cleared, everyone turned. Even the thousands of guests gathered at the estate had their eyes locked on the scene. What they saw was a massive crater, wide as a ballroom, torn open in the estate’s rear courtyard.

And in the very center of that crater, a man stood tall and unshaken. His back was straight, his figure proud, like a dragon risen from the depths.

It was Andrew.

Eric let out a long breath, his chest pounding. “Holy hell. You’re insane, Andrew. You’re absolutely insane!”