Although Lucy was strong, her cultivation was still lower than her pursuers so not long after her departure, two shadows appeared a few kilometers behind her. It was Hach'ara and the Jade King Amtir, the former summoned two other insects while using a mass of black flies to fly at a faster pace. As for Amtir, he took out a large boat made of green jade, boarded it, and went after the white specter.

The speed of the Green Jade Spirit Boat was absurd as it caught up to Lucy in just a few seconds and seemed about to crash into her too.

Lucy erected a barrier and braced herself for the impact while shielding Arthur with her back, but just as she was about to be hit, a domineering aura appeared out of nowhere and crashed into Amtir's boat, causing it to stop its fast charge.

In fact, before the King of Jade could even see what happened, a colorless energy pressed down on the boat, causing it to crack. Amtir was forced to store it and hurriedly around only to a white figure with a long white tail and long pointy illusory ears facing him. She had long silver hair and looked very much like Lucy but the pressure around her was truly frightening.

Lucy immediately sensed the person who interfered but her speed didn't slow down at all, it actually accelerated and in a few seconds, she left the area. As for Amtir and Hach'ara, who just caught up, they didn't pursue the young white specter as their path was blocked by the Katrina, the Matriarch of the White Specter Clan.

Ever since the war between the undead and the specters, she has been missing so many assumed she seclude herself in order to cultivate but she was actually imprisoned by the Joker, who released her right before the competition of the Red Tower began.

"What a surprise!"

Hach'ara was displeased by Katrina's arrival but considering his current cultivation, he wasn't that afraid of her, after all, he was stronger. Sadly, his complexion had a drastic change as the silver-haired woman released her aura, fully showcasing her cultivation.

The Exalted God Realm is formed of five small realms, each with a unique name. They are; Condensing Stage, Expulsion Stage, Stagnation Stage, Exalted Stage, and Transcendency Stage. Currently Hach'ara is an Exalted Stage Exalted God while Amtir is just at the Expulsion Stage. Katrina has been an Exalted God for a sizable amount of time but it isn't easy to breakthrough the next stage, in fact, it takes decades if not centuries.

At the war, she was at the Exalted Stage but now, she actually has broken through the Transcendency stage, making her a peak Exalted God, an existence that rivals Ber Von Xin, the Sword God. The difference between each stage is difference, especially the last two as the cultivator's energy will start changing, becoming a new type which is more powerful and dominant.

"Your chase ends here!"

Katrina snorted and waved her arm, releasing a formless white energy which blasted both Hach'ara and Amtir. It was just a simple motion but the white energy caused the King of Jade's body to turn bloody.

What shocked Hach'ara even more is that the Matriarch attacked again without warning again. He thought she was just going to stop them but the boundless killing intent she released made it blatantly obvious that she wants to kill. Amtir shouted in pain as he coughed a lot of blood but before he could do anything, Katrina was upon him, her hand stabbed his chest, causing his body to explode into a bloody mist within a couple of breaths.

Even though she was at the last stage of the Exalted God Realm, killing Amtir shouldn't have been this fast. Cold sweat tricked down Hach'ara face as he innocently raised his hand and hurriedly said:

"I concede I concede! I won't chase your daughter anymore!"

He sounded genuinely afraid and honest. He retracted his aura and even summoned back the two insects guarding both of his sides.

The white specter glared at him before snorting and turning around, but once she made that, a cold smile appeared on Hach'ara wrinkled face. His bony fingers released an invisible aura which slowly made its way toward Katrina. It was a special kind of poison he created, it was a spiritual and incredibly deadly, even to being superior to him. It was also one of the reasons of Arthur's sudden fall.

Normally, even if Zodiak's loss to Sol'khin affects his soul, it shouldn't have made him half-conscious and barely responsive. When he was controlling the Black Dragon, Hach'ara actually used his invisible and unnoticeable poison called the Smiting Invisible Poison.

The old man flawlessly controlled the unseen poison but just as it was about to touch Katrina, she vanished from her location, shocking the grinning Hach'ara. By the next second, his arm was severed and a hole appeared in his chest. Thousands of flies appeared from within his tattered robe, stopping blood from gushing out and enveloping him.

Katrina wanted to finish him off but her next strike hit nothing but air as Hach'ara seemed to have used an instantaneous teleportation technique. Nevertheless, her two previous attacks did fatally wounded him, basically sealing his fate.

*****

The destruction of the Red Tower and the events that unfolded on that planets had traveled far and wide and reached the ears of the three Universes. The Mythical Zodiak got the Blessing stone but completely vanished from the face of the world, as for Arthur, it was rumored that he got the Wish Star but it wasn't confirmed as there were many who chased after him.

Although she didn't know where her parents were, Saly wasn't overly worried as her teacher assured her they were safe. She was taken to Green-Leaf, where the MoonStar's first branch was created. The city situated in the wasteland became bustling with people, moreover, vegetation started growing on its surrounded and the weather became much better.

Arthur's nature magic seemed to affect the corrupt earth and the dry rivers, bringing a new life to this scarred land.

Quite unexpectedly, three days after the Red Tower's destruction, Arthur appeared in that city, now called Silver Star City.

"Daddy!"

Saly happily jumped in her father's arm, her tail wagging left and right. She was delighted to finally reunite with father after such a long time.

The girl was beaming with joy as he caressed her long snow-white hair. Although she became a bit mature, she behaved like a child whenever Lucy or Arthur is with her, and this time was no exception.

Arthur led her to the newly self-constructed tower of Silver Star city, where he met with Mary and Robin, who were managing this place whilst Sonia was gone.

The Arthur who came here was actually one of the two clones, each was tasked with something and they were literally no different from the main one. Apart from not being able to use a few certain and unnecessary skills, the clones could have the parasite's states and memories. Basically, they were no different than the original, in every sense of the word.

The reason he came here was to meet his daughter and the World Tree, which sent him a strong signal and urgently called for him. The oath he made in the past sounded an uncomfortable alarm and this made him certain that there are going to be invaders coming to Astria very soon and as per their agreement, he needs to defend the World Tree.

Arthur spent only a day in Silver Star city before heading to Astria, although Saly was reluctant to part with him, he promised her to come back once he settled his business. He wanted to bring her along but there was a strong chance she could be in danger, despite her mighty strength and the Fenrir's power, which came at a cost, obviously.

…

"Was there any disturbance outside of Astria in the last few months?"

Arthur asked the not-so-handsome looking Gutcha, who bowed respectfully before his boss. The pigolo was different from the past, whether in terms of cultivation or behavior. He was no longer a scaredy-cat and his loyalty to his benefactor, Arthur, is unquestionable, as he, metaphorically, gave him a new life and a meaning.

"Nothing at all." The pigolo answered with certainty but he was puzzled over why he was asked such a question, though he didn't dare question the parasite.

"What about the Cthulhu, they didn't come back?��

"Ever since they escaped last time, there has been no signs of them. In fact, the portal leading to their world vanished completely."

Arthur pondered for a few seconds before asking: "Alright, what about the Eastern Continent, is there any one living there anymore?"

"I haven't checked but there seems to be a few elven tribes who chose to settle around the World Tree. Apart from them, I don't think there's anyone else, as far as I know."

Gutcha handed Arthur a crystal which recorded images of the current Eastern Continent. They showed a desolate and ashen land which looked worse than the Western continent, which became a bloody wasteland after countless war occurred in it.

"The World Tree suffered a lot due to the Cthulhu's strange fire but King Isadore dispatched an Overgod which helped quieten them."

"Isadore?" Arthur's brows knitted as he recalled the blond and young king ruling over Green Leaf.

"What about the Kang Clan? Has they sent anyone?"

The pigolo shook his head before saying: "The Kang Clan is oddly quiet, however, a girl from the Mirage Era Hall did come looking for you."

"Mirage Era Hall? Who was it?"

"She was called Shu'ru. I told her I'll pass the message but she vehemently refused. She said that it needs to be personally delivered to you and returned right after."

Arthur was a bit confused as he doesn't remember having a close relationship with either Shu'ru or her sect. He has been there for a short time and their interaction was brief and almost forgettable.

He put this matter in the back of his mind as the problem with the World Tree is more urgent. It's a shame he can't create more clones and both the main body and the first clone need to accomplish equally important matters.

After talking with Pigolo for a bit more, Arthur went to meet with the World Tree, both curious and nervous to hear what it has to say…