Chapter 2028: Michael!

The next day, after spending some time with Freya, Max finally got ready to leave the Four Sacred Clans.

Freya didn’t try to stop him. She knew better than anyone that Max had already made his decision. Instead of trying to talk him out of it, she warned him about several things he needed to keep in mind inside the Godslayer’s Pilgrimage.

She told him not to trust anyone too easily, not to underestimate geniuses from the other four universes, not to assume every trial followed fair rules, and not to reveal all his abilities unless he had no other choice.

She also reminded him that in a place like the Godslayer’s Pilgrimage, opportunities often came with hidden prices, and sometimes the most beautiful inheritance grounds were the ones that swallowed the most corpses.

Max listened quietly. He didn’t treat her warnings as unnecessary worry. Freya had already been to the Godslayer’s Pilgrimage, and if even she called that place insane, Max had no reason to take it lightly.

After saying goodbye, Max left the Four Sacred Clans and headed back to the Primordial Ancestral Domain. When he arrived, he found the other top geniuses already gathered.

Damian, Ervin, Revona, Rosaline, Rakan, Aurelian, and the others were there, but they weren’t alone. Besides the seven who’d decided to enter the Godslayer’s Pilgrimage, there were also ten young geniuses from the Four Sacred Clans.

Max spotted the strongest descendants of Valerius, Ashbourne, Ravenhart, and Evercrest among them, and their expressions turned complicated the moment they noticed him.

They no longer looked at him with the same hostility as before. Some looked wary. Some looked curious. Some clearly still disliked him, but none of them dared provoke him openly.

Besides the Four Sacred Clan geniuses, unfamiliar faces stood scattered through the gathering area too. Some looked calm and detached. Some carried strange auras that didn’t belong to ordinary disciples. Some had eyes too old for their young faces, and some stood silently, as if the whole world around them had nothing to do with them.

The number of young geniuses present had crossed thirty. Max hadn’t expected this many people. But apart from the Four Sacred Clan geniuses, the unfamiliar youths all shared one thing in common.

They were all Primordials. Their bloodline aura felt different from the ten geniuses who’d recently awakened Primordial Bloodline. It ran deeper in some spots, more stable in others, clearly belonging to people who’d been raised with Primordial inheritance from birth. That realization made Max wonder if all of them would be entering the Godslayer’s Pilgrimage together.

"Max, you finally made it."

Sarvion’s voice came from nearby. Max turned and saw Sarvion walking toward him with his usual calm expression.

"Who are the other geniuses besides the ones from the Four Sacred Clans?" Max asked as they started walking together.

Sarvion glanced at the unfamiliar youths and smiled faintly. "They’re disciples of some great hidden experts."

"Hidden experts?" Max raised his brows slightly.

Sarvion nodded. "Not every powerful being in the Divine Realm belongs openly to a palace, clan, court, kingdom, sanctum, hall, or Primordial faction. Some ancient experts prefer to stay outside the public order. They don’t interfere much, but when something as big as the Godslayer’s Pilgrimage opens up, they naturally send their disciples."

Max looked at the unfamiliar geniuses again. That explained their strange auras. They weren’t ordinary disciples from famous forces. They were heirs trained by old monsters living outside the usual structure of the Divine Realm.

Max didn’t dwell on it too much. Soon he met up with Damian, Rakan, Revona, and the others. Damian gave him a brief nod. Rakan looked more serious than usual, while Revona’s gaze lingered on Max for a moment, as if she could tell something about him had shifted again. Max had no plans to explain anything, so he just greeted them calmly.

Just as he was talking with them, a young voice sounded from behind him.

"You must be Max."

Max turned around. A young man with dark blue hair and a sharp, handsome face stood in front of him. His eyes carried pride, and his aura wasn’t weak. A faint pressure surrounded him, marking him as no ordinary genius, but the arrogance on his face stood out even more than his strength.

"And you are?" Max asked.

The young man lifted his chin slightly. "I’m Michael."

"Good to meet you, Michael," Max said, holding out his hand politely.

But to his surprise, Michael slapped it away. The sound wasn’t loud, but it instantly drew the attention of Damian, Rakan, Revona, and several nearby geniuses.

Max looked at his hand for a brief moment. Then he looked back at Michael.

Michael’s expression stayed sharp. "I’m not here to make friends with you."

Max stayed silent.

Michael continued, "I came here to tell you that you don’t deserve the title of the strongest young genius of our universe. Someone stuck at the Law Manifestation Realm doesn’t deserve a title like that."

The atmosphere around them turned strange.

Damian frowned. Rakan’s expression darkened. Revona looked at Michael with mild interest, like she was trying to figure out if he was brave or just foolish.

Max sighed inwardly. ’Trouble really does find me wherever I go.’

He looked at Michael, then shrugged. "You’re right, buddy."

After saying that, he turned away like the whole thing no longer interested him.

Michael froze. The reaction ran completely opposite of what he’d expected. He’d figured Max would get angry, argue back, release his aura, or challenge him. Instead, Max had just agreed and ignored him.

"A-are you ignoring me?" Michael shouted.

Max turned his head slightly and looked at him from the side. "Did you not hear me? I said you’re right."

Michael stood there, not knowing what to say. His challenge had landed on absolutely nothing.

Before the awkward silence could stretch any further, an old man appeared before them.

"My apologies, young man."

The voice sounded calm and aged, but the moment it came out, the whole area seemed to grow heavier.

Max’s eyes narrowed slightly. The old man had a large rectangular face, a thick white beard covering most of his lower face, and a pair of bright eyes that looked surprisingly lively for his age. He wore golden armor that looked like a formal suit prepared for war, and every part of him gave off an aura that felt both dignified and dangerous.

The moment Max saw him, he understood this old man wasn’t simple. His aura matched the four Primarchs, the leaders of the strongest first-rate forces, and the ancestors of the Four Sacred Clans.

What surprised Max even more was that the old man was human. Not a Primordial. Not from the Four Sacred Clans. Just a normal human who’d somehow reached a level where his presence could stand beside the peak figures of the Divine Realm.