From Outcast to Overlord The Unyielding Heir (Leander Ashcroft) novel Chapter 471

The affairs within the Ashcroft Family remained unknown to outsiders.

In contrast, news of Leander's feat at the Aorinth Peaks—where he singlehandedly slaughtered fifteen Chief Arbitrators—had shaken the entire underground world. His unprecedented act of occupying the entire International Combat Units by himself became the hottest topic among martial artists everywhere.

But beneath the roaring waves of discussion, a long-forgotten term quietly resurfaced, echoing throughout the international martial world: the King Phase.

The international martial world was instantly plunged into a stormy, turbulent era.

Legends of the King Phase soon began circulating wildly across the forums of the International Martial Network. Countless secrets long buried deep beneath layers of dust began to surface once more, dragged back into the light.

…

Inside the president's office of Highcliffe University, Christopher leaned back in his plush leather chair.

His frown deepened as he scrolled through thread after thread discussing the King Phase.

He knew all too well that, in ages past, the ones who truly dominated the world were the King Phase masters, thinking, The King Phase era… Is it finally coming back?

Most of those figures had withdrawn into the shadows after World War I, choosing instead to manipulate global affairs from behind the scenes. But they vanished completely after World War II.

Not a single King Phase master had appeared in the world in the last eighty years, and so the legends surrounding them slowly faded from memory.

It was Leander's recent battle at the Aorinth Peaks that finally brought back memories of the term "King Phase".

"Jeff Ashcroft… So, you're the one who brought back that era…"

He sighed deeply, his gaze becoming profound and unreadable.

…

Boom!

A thunderous explosion suddenly erupted across a remote mountainous region deep within Europa, sending shockwaves throughout the entire mountain range.

High above a mountain peak, hundreds of feet above sea level, a massive handprint—as large as the hand of a colossal titan—sliced horizontally through the air. It cleaved the entire mountain cleanly in half, leaving devastation in its wake.

The impact rippled outward a thousand feet from its trajectory, crushing everything in its path. Six towering peaks exploded in an instant.

A dark palace sprawled out beneath a mountain valley, silent and gloomy. But flames of rage surged violently within the palace walls.

"Outrageous!" A raspy voice shook the air.

"In the past six months, Jeff Ashcroft has not only caused the Arbitration Office tremendous losses, but has even humiliated us in public! Why haven't His Highness and the others taken action? Are we supposed to just let him run rampant?"

At the end of a shadowy corridor stood a burly man in a blue fitted combat suit, his arms folded across his chest. In the dim light, his golden hair was particularly striking.

He was practically radiating with fury, his eyes wide with rage. His voice boomed with annoyance and impatience, his innate vitality surging wildly around him. Behind him, the faint silhouette of a dragon could vaguely be seen, stirring in the shadows.

"'The Only One in History'? 'The Sole Ruler of the International Combat Units'? Hmph! Jeff Ashcroft is nothing more than an arrogant punk who doesn't know his place! Does he think he's invincible just because he managed to defeat Reefus?

"Compared to a true King Phase master, he's nothing more than a child. It'd be effortless to snap his neck if I truly wanted him dead.

"If His Highness won't act, I don't mind dealing with him myself!"

Dragon energy rippled through his voice, causing the surrounding space to tremble violently. It was as though a terrifying ancient beast were lurking within his body.

Though Leander currently occupied the entire International Combat Units, reigning over the world as the first person to ever stand at the top of the world, this man clearly wasn't impressed. His words indicated he regarded Leander as nothing more than an ant to be crushed.

"Restrain yourself, Folger!"

A refined, scholarly middle-aged man in white robes stood beside the burly figure, his hands clasped behind his back. He'd barely raised his voice, but the golden-haired man immediately fell silent mid-rage.

His spiritual cultivation was bordering on the threshold of the Origin Realm. Only one more step, and he could fully release his spiritual strength and advance into the next cultivation realm.

The stream in the mountain ravine might not be a sacred ground, but it was secluded and sparsely populated. The isolated environment was precisely why he had chosen this place for quiet cultivation and breakthrough.

Whoosh!

His spiritual strength surged abruptly, whipping fierce winds in all directions. The sky above his head split into two layers—blue and white—forming two entirely distinct domains.

Spiritual strength was essentially a person's soul, comprised of two components: the spirit and the essence—one blue, the other white. The merging of these halves into one was known as the "return to origin".

Although the spirit and essence existed together as twin halves that complemented each other, they remain separated by distinct barriers and boundaries. And the Origin Realm could only be achieved by completely fusing spirit and essence into a single, seamless whole—indestructible and eternal.

Shrouded by his spiritual energy, the world around him seemed to fall into an ethereal state: quiet, hazy, and almost dreamlike.

Half an hour later, Leander suddenly opened his eyes. A blinding light burst from his body. Then, the Bloodjadea and the Dragon Core flew into the sky as twin beams of colored energy.

He grabbed them with one hand. Flames erupted around his grip, blooming into a dragon that engulfed both treasures.

Under the indescribable heat, the two peerless treasures melted rapidly—refined into two intertwined streams of energy that cascaded down onto him.

He leaped to his feet, his mind soaring into the clouds in a single heartbeat. His spiritual strength expanded exponentially, distorting the very space around him. A low roar exploded from deep within his chest.

"Today, I break into the Origin Realm!"

A pillar of light pierced straight into the heavens, punching a hole through the clouds. It was an unprecedented phenomenon.

Countless ancient monsters across the Shadowrealm opened their eyes, their expressions shifting as they gazed at the distant pillar of light.

A great spiritual master had just been born!