Ashes of the star forge

Chapter 92: The Edge of Death

Lian stood frozen in the ruins, his heart pounding violently against his ribs. Every instinct screamed at him to run. To turn around and flee as far as possible from the source of that suffocating killing intent. He knew the truth with painful clarity — he was an ant in front of the Eternal Veil Syndicate representative. A single careless move, a single glimpse, and he would die a useless, meaningless death. The representative was wounded, yes, but even in that state, the gap between them was like heaven and earth. Lian’s Core Condensation Late Stage foundation was nothing against that kind of power.

Yet he couldn’t leave. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

Elara was somewhere in that direction. He hadn’t seen her since the chaos began, and the thought of abandoning her tore at him. She had followed him through everything — the academy, the underground, the dangers of this planet. He couldn’t abandon her now. Not like this.

He had no choice.

Gritting his teeth, Lian dragged himself forward through the rubble. Every step felt heavier than the last. The representative’s killing intent pressed down on him like a physical mountain, crushing his shoulders, squeezing his lungs, trying to force him into the dirt. His legs trembled. His vision blurred. Blood began to trickle from his nose, then his ears, then the corners of his eyes. The pressure was so immense it was rupturing small blood vessels throughout his body.

Still, he kept moving.

He stayed low, using piles of debris and broken walls as cover, crawling and dragging himself when standing became impossible. His cloak was torn and covered in dust. His breathing came in short, painful gasps. Every inch closer to the hole felt like walking deeper into hell. The air grew thicker, harder to breathe. His head spun. His knees buckled repeatedly, forcing him to crawl on all fours like an animal. Blood dripped from his face onto the broken ground, leaving a faint trail behind him.

Elara... please be alive, he thought desperately.

He pushed on, muscles screaming, mind fighting against the overwhelming urge to collapse and submit. The pressure intensified the closer he got. It felt like thousands of invisible hands were trying to crush him into paste. His vision darkened at the edges. He bled from his eyes, nose, and ears, the warm liquid mixing with sweat and dust on his face.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of agony, he reached the edge of the hole.

The pressure suddenly vanished.

Lian collapsed instantly onto the ground, gasping and coughing violently. His body shook uncontrollably. His eyes spun. His head rang with a loud, high-pitched whine that drowned out everything else. It took a full five minutes of desperate breathing and sheer willpower before he could even push himself up again. His limbs felt like lead. Blood stained his face and clothes. He crawled the last few meters to the edge of the hole and peered down carefully, staying as hidden as possible.

Below, he saw the Eternal Veil Syndicate representative.

The man was standing now, though clearly in terrible condition — one arm missing from the shoulder, body covered in bruises and deep wounds, robes hanging in bloody tatters. He looked like a demon dragged through hell, yet the aura around him was still terrifying.

Lian’s eyes scanned the area frantically.

Then he saw her.

Elara was hiding in a narrow gap behind a collapsed wall, barely visible. Even from this distance, he could tell she was in bad shape — body pinned, face pale, barely conscious. She looked like she was dying, crushed under the weight of the representative’s killing intent. Being so close to him, she had taken the full force of it.

Lian’s heart twisted. He stayed hidden, eyes locked on the representative, ready to move at any second.

The representative, breathing heavily, reached into what remained of his robe and dropped a small, dark device onto the ground. A low hum filled the air as the device activated. A massive holographic figure materialized in front of him — tall, imposing, and shrouded in darkness. The face was not visible, only a vague, powerful silhouette that radiated overwhelming authority.

The representative bowed deeply, his broken body trembling with the effort.

“My lord,”

Power Scale / Cultivation Realms (Quick Reminder)

Foundation Realm (Layers 1–9): Body forging, no external Qi.

Circuit Awakening Realm (Early–Peak): First Qi loop, internal bursts.

Core Condensation Realm (Early–Peak): External Qi release, short flight.

Stellar Circuit Realm (1–9 Stars): True flight, Qi armor, energy projection.

Nebula Dominion Realm and higher: Domain control, galaxy-level power, etc fгeewebnovёl.com

Power Scale Reminder

Lian Yu: Stellar Circuit Star 1.

Elara Voss: Core Condensation Middle

Keep it as reminders