Grand Return System

Chapter 248: The Search Through the Sea of Blood

The Search Through the Sea of Blood

For a brief moment—

Silence descended over the battlefield.

The sea of blood that had been roaring moments ago seemed to pause beneath the weight of a new arrival.

Crimson waves rolled endlessly beneath the dark sky of the Martial Emperor Tomb. Ancient energy drifted through the air like invisible mist, carrying with it the scent of rust, blood, and countless years of decay. Broken islands floated above the scarlet sea, remnants of a forgotten age. In the distance, flashes of battle continued to erupt as powerful cultivators fought over heavenly treasures that emerged one after another from the depths of the tomb.

Yet for this brief moment, all eyes turned toward a single figure.

Maya.

Her sky-blue robes fluttered softly in the wind as she hovered above the sea of blood. Her long azure hair danced behind her like flowing water, and her calm blue eyes surveyed the battlefield before her.

Three powerful experts stood facing each other.

Dario.

Hektor.

Tobias.

The three veteran cultivators had been fighting fiercely over a spirit fruit that hung from an ancient tree growing atop a floating island.

The fruit radiated a brilliant crimson glow.

Every pulse released astonishing vitality.

Even from a distance, Maya could sense the enormous life force hidden inside it.

After discovering Maya, Tobias chuckled and said, "So it’s Fellow Daoist Maya. I thought that the Sky Breaker Academy’s reinforcements had arrived."

His laughter eased some of the tension in the air.

Unlike Dario, Tobias held no hostility toward Celestis Academy.

"Hmph... Celestis Academy again."

Dario’s face immediately darkened.

The moment he saw Maya, memories of another person surfaced in his mind.

Leon.

His expression twisted slightly.

The wound Leon had left behind had long healed, but the humiliation remained.

Ever since that battle, his reputation had suffered greatly.

Many people secretly laughed at him.

Every time he remembered Leon’s calm expression during that fight, anger surged through his chest.

His killing intent instantly soared.

The blood sea beneath him churned violently.

Maya felt Dario’s killing intent and her heart trembled slightly.

Her expression became strange.

Why is this guy looking at me like that?

Did I offend him somewhere?

She genuinely could not remember having any conflict with Dario.

After a moment of confusion, realization dawned on her.

It must be because of Leon.

The thought almost made her sigh.

Leon truly knew how to make enemies wherever he went.

Still, Maya did not care.

Compared to finding Leon, everything else seemed insignificant.

She looked toward Tobias and asked politely,

"Fellow Daoist Tobias, have you seen my junior brother?"

The question instantly drew the attention of everyone present.

Even Dario’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Hektor stroked his beard thoughtfully.

Tobias exchanged a glance with Hektor before both men shook their heads.

"No."

Tobias sighed.

"Previously, the Martial Emperor Tomb had just opened and the scene was too chaotic."

"Fellow Daoist Leon followed the Inferno Swift Bird in before us."

"After we entered, he was already gone."

"Only the remains of a sharp fang kraken remained."

"From the looks of it, that sharp fang kraken should have died not long ago."

"It must have died at the hands of Fellow Daoist Leon."

As he spoke, even Tobias couldn’t hide the admiration in his eyes.

The sharp fang kraken was not weak.

Even many veteran cultivators would think twice before provoking such a creature inside the dangerous environment of the tomb.

Yet Leon had apparently killed it alone.

Hearing those words, Maya fell into silence.

The wind blew softly across her face.

Her gaze drifted toward the eastern horizon.

The sea of blood stretched endlessly into darkness.

Somewhere within that terrifying world...

Leon was wandering alone.

A trace of disappointment flashed through her eyes.

She had rushed into the tomb as quickly as possible.

Yet she was still one step behind.

Always one step behind.

For some reason, that realization left a bitter feeling in her heart.

"Hmph, Leon?"

At this moment, Dario suddenly spoke.

"That guy is probably dead now."

His cold voice echoed across the battlefield.

"He already entered this place during the first wave of energy impact."

"A few days have passed."

"No one has seen him."

"He must have died in some unknown corner."

The moment those words left his mouth, the atmosphere changed.

Maya slowly raised her head.

Her eyes became colder.

Many people present sensed the change immediately.

Tobias secretly sighed.

Dario was clearly trying to provoke her.

Maya frowned.

She roughly understood why Dario was so hostile toward her.

So it was because of Leon.

She had also heard about the battle between the two.

The first time she learned that Leon had severely injured Dario, she had been shocked for a long time.

Back then, Leon had already been powerful.

But now...

He had become even stronger.

So strong that even she found it difficult to catch up.

That thought made her heart feel strangely heavy.

The distance between them was growing.

Every time they met, Leon seemed to have reached a completely new height.

Meanwhile, she remained where she was.

If this continued...

Would there come a day when she could only look up at him from afar?

Would their paths eventually become too different?

The thought unsettled her.

Maya clenched her fingers slightly.

Then she took a deep breath.

No.

That day would never come.

Not if she continued moving forward.

Not if she continued chasing him.

Slowly, Maya lifted her gaze toward Dario.

Her eyes became as cold as winter frost.

"Don’t worry."

"Even if you die, my junior brother will be fine."

Her voice was calm.

Yet everyone could hear the unwavering confidence within it.

To Maya, Leon’s strength was beyond question.

Perhaps others doubted him.

She never would.

Not for a second.

The moment Dario heard her words, his expression darkened completely.

Veins bulged across his forehead.

The wound Leon had left in his pride was already painful enough.

Now Maya had reopened it.

"Little girl, you’re courting death!"

Boom!

An explosive surge of Mana erupted from his body.

The blood sea beneath him exploded upward.

A gigantic crimson hand formed in the sky.

The surrounding space trembled violently.

Dario’s eyes burned with fury.

Without hesitation, he slapped toward Maya.

The giant hand descended from above like a falling mountain.

The pressure alone was enough to crush ordinary cultivators.

Maya remained standing where she was.

Her blue eyes were calm.

The cold air around her gradually condensed.

Water droplets suddenly emerged from the blood-red sea below.

One drop.

Ten drops.

Hundreds of drops.

They rose into the air as if responding to her silent call.

Soon, countless droplets began circling around her body, forming perfect rings of flowing water.

The water rotated slowly at first before accelerating, creating a beautiful yet dangerous barrier around her.

Every droplet contained dense Mana.

Every droplet could become a weapon.

Her Water Arts quietly activated.

She was already prepared for battle.

If Dario truly wished to fight...

She would not retreat.

However—

Before the attack could reach her—

A powerful force suddenly intercepted it.

BOOM!

The giant hand exploded instantly.

Countless crimson fragments scattered across the sky.

Dario staggered backward.

"Tobias!"

His furious roar shook the heavens.

Standing between them, Tobias casually lowered his hand.

Instead of becoming serious, the old cultivator suddenly laughed.

"Hahaha..."

"Dario."

"Control your temper."

"We are inside the Martial Emperor Tomb."

His eyes swept toward Maya before returning to Dario.

"Or what?"

"Do you really wish to attack a junior?"

"Have you not suffered enough after being defeated by one junior named Leon?"

"Now you’re planning to vent your anger on another?"

The surrounding cultivators immediately exchanged strange looks.

Some even suppressed their laughter.

The wound Dario least wanted others to mention had been directly exposed.

Dario’s face instantly darkened.

His chest rose and fell with rage.

The veins on his forehead twitched violently.

"You..."

"You old bastard..."

Tobias simply smiled.

"What?"

"Did I say something wrong?"

"You were defeated."

"Everyone here knows it."

"If word spreads that a veteran cultivator attacked a junior because he couldn’t defeat her junior brother, what do you think the Forsaken Domain will say?"

Hektor also stroked his beard and added calmly,

"Besides, the spirit fruit is still here."

"If you insist on fighting, Tobias and I won’t stop you."

"But don’t blame us if the fruit disappears while you’re busy."

He glanced meaningfully toward several distant cultivators who were secretly watching.

"Many people are waiting for an opportunity."

"Once we start fighting, someone will surely steal it."

Dario’s expression became uglier and uglier.

He knew both men were right.

Fighting a junior would only damage his reputation.

More importantly, if he became distracted, Tobias, Hektor, or even Maya might seize the spirit fruit.

That was unacceptable.

After a long moment, Dario finally took a deep breath.

The violent Mana around him gradually settled.

"Hmph."

"I’ll remember this."

He withdrew his killing intent, though the hatred in his eyes remained.

Only then did the tense atmosphere slowly calm down.

Seeing the situation calm down, Tobias turned toward Maya.

"Fellow Daoist Maya."

"If you want to find Fellow Daoist Leon, you can go east."

"If I’m not wrong, he should be heading east."

"The sharp fang kraken’s corpse was discovered there."

"Considering he entered before everyone else, that’s the most likely direction."

Maya listened carefully.

A hint of gratitude appeared in her eyes.

Finally.

A clue.

Even a small one was enough.

She bowed slightly.

"Thank you."

Tobias smiled.

"There’s no need."

"Besides..."

A faint laugh escaped him.

"I am also curious about where that monster has disappeared to."

Even Hektor nodded slightly.

The two men clearly held a favorable impression of Leon.

After all, strength commanded respect.

Maya looked once more toward the eastern horizon.

The blood-red sky stretched endlessly into darkness.

Somewhere beyond it—

Leon was moving forward.

Perhaps fighting.

Perhaps searching for treasures.

Or perhaps causing trouble again.

The thought unexpectedly brought a small smile to her face.

Without wasting another moment, she cupped her hands toward the three cultivators.

"Thank you, Daoist Tobias. I’ll take my leave first. You guys continue..."