Chapter 1565 - 1565: While You Were Hiding, the World Changed

When Ethan and the others arrived at the Azure Nereids' settlement, they found the entire place deserted. Not a single person was in sight.

Everyone frowned.

"Were the Azure Nereids wiped out?"

"Probably not," Sean said. "There aren't any signs of fighting. It looks more like they left."

"But with battles breaking out everywhere, where would they go instead of defending their home?"

No one could make sense of it.

Ethan flew into the sky and swept the area with True Sight. A moment later, a smile tugged at his lips.

"Come on. I know where they are."

He led the group toward the rear of the settlement.

The Azure Nereids had built their home across a vast lake, with one island connected to the next to form their unique territory.

Ethan took them all the way to the last island. There was nothing beyond it but open water.

Standing at the edge, he called out, "Matriarch, come on out. We're here."

Chris and the others stared at him in confusion. Why was he talking to empty air?

Then the scenery ahead of them shifted.

A huge, picturesque island appeared out of nowhere. Groups of beautiful Azure Nereid girls could be seen everywhere.

Chris and the others' eyes went wide.

"What the hell?"

"Looks like some kind of hidden domain," Henry said thoughtfully.

"Yeah. It's probably concealed by some kind of ritual circle," Ethan said. "The Azure Nereids have close ties to humanity, so I'm guessing a human predecessor set it up for them."

It was an impressive ritual circle, but not even that could fool his True Sight.

Henry immediately began studying it with great interest.

Matriarch Seraphine soon approached with several elders, staring at Ethan in surprise.

"You actually saw through the ritual circle?!"

"Yeah. I've got pretty good eyes."

"…"

Seraphine shook her head. Clearly, he had no intention of explaining.

Then her gaze sharpened.

"Ethan, what Tier are you now?"

She could no longer sense his strength. There was only one explanation: he had surpassed her by far.

"Stage SSS," Ethan replied without trying to hide it.

The Azure Nereid leaders sucked in a collective breath and stared at him in shock.

They knew Ethan's circumstances better than almost anyone. When he first arrived on the Eldoria Continent, he had only been Tier 35.

Less than a month later, he had already reached Stage SSS.

That rate of growth was terrifying.

"Lord Ethan, you're… incredible." Seraphine swallowed. Without even realizing it, she had adopted a much more respectful form of address.

"Haha, I just got lucky," Ethan said with a smile.

"Anyway, the main reason we came is to let you know that things here are mostly settled. We're getting ready to return to our world."

"Settled?" Seraphine frowned. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

"The fighting is basically over. Most of the top races have been wiped out, so they can't threaten humanity anymore."

The Azure Nereid leaders nearly jumped in shock.

"You can't be serious. The top races were… wiped out?!"

"More or less. I raided their strongholds, and the few strays left are still on the run. I doubt they'll last much longer."

"…"

They stared at Ethan in a daze.

The news was simply too shocking to process.

These were the top races, the powers standing at the very peak of the Eldoria Continent—the existences every other race could only look up to. Yet Ethan had casually announced that they were finished.

Was he joking, or had they all misheard him?

If they hadn't known him well enough to realize he would never joke about something like this, they would have assumed he was trying to fool them.

After a long silence, Seraphine took a deep breath.

"Ethan, it isn't that we don't believe you. This is simply too unbelievable. Can you tell us how those top races were destroyed?"

"They lost the war and got wiped out by the Outland Beasts," Ethan said with a laugh. "You didn't think we killed them, did you?"

The Azure Nereid leaders exhaled in relief.

That explanation was easier to accept. It was still astonishing, but the Outland Beasts were undeniably powerful enough to pull it off.

Then they remembered that Ethan and his companions were the ones who had sparked the war between the Outland Beasts and the other races in the first place.

The destruction of the top races might not have been directly caused by Ethan's group, but they certainly had something to do with it.

Nerissa looked at Ethan with complicated emotions.

She had been the one to bring them here. At first, she'd assumed they would need the Azure Nereids' protection while they slowly learned about the Eldoria Continent.

The more they discovered, the more they would marvel at its strength and come to fear it.

After all, Nerissa had visited Earth. She knew what it was like, and it simply couldn't compare to the Eldoria Continent.

Once Ethan and the others understood the situation here, they should have returned home and worked tirelessly to grow stronger.

Instead, they had started causing trouble the moment they arrived. They hadn't spent a single day with the Azure Nereids. If they weren't stirring up trouble, they were on their way to stir up more.

Nerissa had worried countless times that their reckless behavior would get them killed.

Yet instead of hearing news of their deaths, she had received news of the top races' destruction.

Those seemingly untouchable powers had been brought down in less than a month.

She wouldn't have dared dream of something so outrageous.

While the Azure Nereid leaders were still reeling, Seraphine suddenly realized something, and her expression changed.

"Wait. If the top races are gone, won't the rest of us become food for the Outland Beasts?!"

The others came to the same realization, and their faces paled.

Seraphine turned to Ethan as if grasping at her last hope.

"Ethan, could you take us to your world?"

"Nerissa told us what it's like there. I promise we'll behave ourselves and won't cause you any trouble."

"That's actually the main reason I came," Ethan said with a smile.

"My Riftwalk can't carry that many people, but the void passage should open again in about five days. When it does, take your people through to our world. Nerissa knows where Fallen Star City is, so come find me there."

"Really?"

"I can't thank you enough, Lord Ethan." Seraphine bowed her head, her face lighting up with relief.

"There's no need to thank me. I already promised I'd help you. You don't need to keep hiding here, either. The Outland Beasts are busy clearing out the top races in the Central Region. They won't come after you."

"The Aurelians from the Western Region will arrive in a couple of days. They're also coming to join us. When the time comes, bring them with you."

"How will people from the Western Region get here?" Seraphine asked.

"Don't worry about that. They have their own way. Just bring them along when they arrive."

"Understood."

"Good. Spend the next few days getting everything ready. Once the passage to the Void Realm opens again, head through. I'll make the necessary arrangements when you get there."

"All right. Thank you, Ethan." Seraphine nodded again.

Nerissa had told her plenty about Earth, and Seraphine had long yearned to see it for herself.

Now that the other races had suffered a crushing defeat and the Outland Beasts had taken control of the continent, the Azure Nereids needed to leave as soon as possible.

"All right, we'll be going."

Ethan opened Riftwalk again. The group stepped inside and vanished.