Chapter 451: The Ancient Guardian Awakens

The Ancient Guardian Awakens

Mike had finally revealed the strength he had concealed for so many years.

"Damn it!"

A furious roar suddenly came from the depths of the Sky Breaker Academy.

The sound rolled across the mountains like thunder.

An old man suddenly rushed out from the rear of the academy.

His robes whipped violently in the raging wind.

His aged face was filled with fury.

The moment he saw the disciples and elders of the Celestis Academy slaughtering the members of the Sky Breaker Academy, his expression became terrifyingly dark.

His eyes immediately locked onto Mike.

"Mike, how dare you…"

The old man's voice shook with rage.

Yet beneath that anger was something else.

Confusion.

He could not understand why Mike had suddenly come to the Sky Breaker Academy.

For many years, the old man had remained in secluded cultivation.

He had isolated himself from the outside world.

He knew almost nothing about what had happened beyond the academy.

Even when the elders of the Sky Breaker Academy had mobilized earlier, they had not disturbed his seclusion.

Unless the academy itself was attacked by an enemy powerful enough to threaten its existence, he rarely appeared.

He had lived this way for far too long.

To him, the outside world had become distant.

But today, the mountain was drenched in blood.

And the ancient guardian could no longer remain hidden.

Mike's heart trembled slightly when he saw the old man.

His pupils contracted.

His grip around his sword tightened.

"This old thing is actually still alive?"

The thought flashed through his mind.

He had genuinely believed that this old monster had already died.

He was not the only one shocked.

Guardian Elder Smith, who stood nearby, also stared at the old man in disbelief.

For a brief moment, even he forgot about the chaos surrounding them.

His expression changed several times.

He recognized that face.

So did Mike.

They were too familiar with this person.

Many years ago, Mike had once blocked the entrance of the Sky Breaker Academy.

The reason had been simple.

An elder of the Sky Breaker Academy had angered him.

Mike had not cared about the academy's reputation.

He had simply gone there and blocked the entrance.

At that time, the matter had caused quite a disturbance.

The situation had escalated until the Grand Elder of the Sky Breaker Academy personally came forward.

The Grand Elder had apologized.

Only then had the matter been settled.

But the old man standing before them now had been one of the most terrifying figures of that generation.

His name had once been Gareth.

But after the new era and the reshaping of the ancient powers, that name no longer suited him.

He was Gareth.

An ancient guardian who had survived countless years.

He had been from the same generation as Zeon and Guardian Elder Smith.

His cultivation had reached the middle stage of the pinnacle Realm.

More importantly, his true strength had always been difficult to determine.

Nobody knew exactly how deep his foundation went.

Even among the ancient experts, Gareth had been considered an unfathomable existence.

Back then, only Zeon had possessed the strength to suppress him.

When the other experts encountered Gareth, they could only lower their heads and greet him respectfully.

That was precisely why, all those years ago, Gareth had not dared to truly attack Mike.

Zeon had still been alive.

As long as Zeon stood behind the Celestis Academy, Gareth could not act recklessly.

In the end, he had been forced to lower his head and admit his mistake.

But things were different now.

Zeon had already passed away.

The greatest pillar that once protected the Celestis Academy was gone.

Without him, suppressing Gareth would be far more difficult.

Mike's expression gradually became solemn.

He had expected the Sky Breaker Academy to have hidden experts.

But he had not expected someone like Gareth to still be alive.

Before coming here, he had already considered the possibility that the old man had died during his long seclusion.

Apparently, he had been wrong.

The old monster was still breathing.

And that changed the situation completely.

Mike slowly lowered his sword.

The blade still carried traces of blood from the Gluttony wolf guardian beast.

His grey hair danced behind him as he stared at Gareth from across the burning battlefield.

For the first time since arriving at the Sky Breaker Academy, there was a trace of caution in his eyes.

Not fear.

Caution.

There was a difference.

He had already exposed his pinnacle Realm cultivation.

Gareth had done the same.

Neither side could afford to underestimate the other.

The surrounding battlefield also became strangely quiet.

The screams of the disciples seemed distant.

The flames continued burning.

Smoke drifted across the mountains.

Pieces of shattered stone rolled down the slopes.

Even the wind seemed to hesitate.

Guardian Elder Smith stared at Gareth for several breaths before slowly exhaling.

He had lived for a very long time.

He understood exactly what Gareth's existence meant.

The Celestis Academy had already gained the upper hand.

Mike's sudden breakthrough had crushed the morale of the Sky Breaker Academy.

But now an ancient powerhouse had appeared.

One who had stood at the pinnacle of the cultivation world for countless years.

The situation had become far more complicated.

Guardian Elder Smith's expression turned serious.

He leaned slightly toward Mike.

"Fellow student, why don't we just let this matter go?"

His voice was low.

There was no cowardice in it.

Only caution.

"This old thing's strength is unfathomable. Unless Senior Brother comes back to life, we might not be able to take him down even if we join forces…"

The words fell into the burning air.

Mike remained silent.

His eyes stayed fixed on Gareth.

The old man's ancient aura spread slowly across the battlefield.

It was like an enormous mountain pressing down upon everyone present.

Mike's fingers tightened around the sword hilt.

He knew Guardian Elder Smith was right.

Gareth was not an ordinary pinnacle Realm expert.

He was an ancient survivor.

A monster who had already experienced countless battles and countless eras.

If they fought here, neither side could guarantee the outcome.

But Mike also understood something else.

The battle had already begun.

And once blood had been spilled, there was no easy way to turn back.