Earth's Greatest Magus

Chapter 3017: Burning Lamp

Watching the Supreme crumble to dust within the blinding light, Emery could not help the tremor that ran through him.

He had failed.

Emotion stirred in his chest — grief, and something colder beneath it.

Then, a heartbeat later, at the very spot where the patriarch had perished, a brilliant flare suddenly blossomed.

A single candlelight.

Its flame was pure beyond description, yet it radiated with a brilliance comparable to the sun itself. Slowly, the flame stabilized as a delicate golden casing materialized around its base, taking the unmistakable form of an ancient lantern forged from condensed cosmic law.

Emery froze.

He immediately understood what he was looking at.

A Burning Lantern.

Having studied the mysteries of the Supreme realm, the sight before him finally made sense.

The Supreme realm was divided into three great stages—Supreme Lord, Supreme Emperor, and Supreme God—and each of those stages was further separated into three Halos: the First, the Second, and the Third. As a Supreme advanced, radiant halos of cosmic light would ignite one after another, circling the soul as tangible manifestations of their cultivation.

Yet those halos concealed a far greater secret.

Upon reaching the Second Halo, the two radiant rings would gradually revolve around one another until they merged, condensing all their accumulated power into this very treasure—a Burning Lantern.

It was the immortal ember of a Supreme’s existence, a second life preserved against death itself. Even if the physical body were completely destroyed, so long as the lantern continued to burn, the Supreme could be reborn from its undying flame.

Emery knew Rosin Karat’s history well. For thousands of years, the patriarch had remained trapped at the First Halo, never managing to take that final step forward. Without reaching the Second Halo, he could never have possessed a Burning Lantern, meaning the body that had just crumbled into ash should have marked the absolute end of his existence.

Yet a lantern now burned where he had fallen.

There was only one explanation.

In the very heart of the tribulation, at the very edge of death, Rosin Karat had broken through into the Second Halo — and the Burning Lantern born of that breakthrough had caught him before oblivion could.

All around the arena, cultivators burst into emotion as, atop the golden flame, organs began to form once more — then bone, then flesh, knitting together into a living body.

Supreme Rosin Karat was reborn.

And he had changed.

His new body appeared at least one or two decades younger. The aged patriarch now looked like a man in his fifties, vigorous and unbowed, while the aura radiating from him was nothing short of astonishing. It was vastly greater than before, carrying a profound pressure that seemed to make the very laws of the world bow before him. With a casual wave of his hand, robes of shimmering gold wove themselves across his newly formed body, completing the majestic figure standing at the center of the ruined arena.

This was the presence of a Supreme who had successfully reached the Second Halo.

It was incomparably stronger than before. In fact, Emery realized with a jolt that the pressure now emanating from Rosin Karat surpassed even the aura he had once sensed from Supreme Dunadan.

The entire arena stood frozen in awe.

Moments later, Hassa Karat descended into the shattered arena and immediately dropped to one knee before his father.

”Congratulations, Father, on your successful advancement!”

As though awakened from a trance, the entire crowd followed suit. Hundreds of cultivators knelt in unison, while even the wounded Grand Magus, despite the pain etched across their faces, could not suppress their smiles as jubilant cheers echoed throughout the mountain.

Rosin slowly swept his gaze across the devastated arena. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, taking in everything that had been sacrificed to bring him to this point, before opening them again and speaking with quiet sincerity.

”Thank you... all of you.”

He exchanged a few private words with Hassa before spatial energy gathered around his body. The newly advanced Supreme disappeared in an instant, departing to stabilize the immense power and foundation he had only just obtained.

Hassa remained behind. Rising to his feet, he turned toward the assembled cultivators, his voice carrying proudly across the ruined arena.

”Our Lord has succeeded! The Karat Faction has been blessed!”

He allowed the celebration to continue for a moment before his expression grew solemn.

”Now... tend to the wounded, and let us honor those who gave their lives.”

For there had indeed been casualties.

One Grand Magus lieutenant had been erased from existence in a single strike, while several Magus maintaining the great formations had also perished beneath the tribulation’s overwhelming power. Their sacrifices would not be forgotten.

Yet when measured against a Major Grand Tribulation—the very calamity that had claimed countless Supremes throughout history—the price they had paid was far lighter than anyone present had dared to hope.

The crowd gradually dispersed, many of them needing time to recover from the wounds they had suffered during the tribulation.

Emery was no exception.

The following day, he received an invitation to an exclusive gathering held in celebration of the auspicious breakthrough.

With Xavier and many of the faction’s senior members still recovering, while the patriarch himself had entered secluded cultivation to stabilize his newly advanced realm, it fell to Hassa to host the occasion.

Close allies arrived in great numbers to offer their congratulations. The foremost families of Golden City were among the first to appear, eager to be seen extending their goodwill the moment news of Rosin Karat’s success spread throughout the city.

Emery remained in a quiet corner of the hall, a glass of wine in hand, accompanied by Tessa, who had long since regained her composure.

”Thank you for your assistance,” she said sincerely. ”Our family will forever be grateful. We’re already preparing a reward for you—”

”We’re close allies,” Emery interrupted with a gentle smile. ”There’s really no need.”

Veyarel wandered over at that moment, letting out a hearty laugh as he joined the conversation.

”Haha... Handing out rewards already? I thought yesterday’s tribulation cleaned out the vault.”

”Uncle Veyarel!” Tessa protested with a pout, clearly unhappy with his teasing.

The conversation soon drifted toward the upcoming expedition to the Tartarus Realm. With the patriarch’s breakthrough now secured, it seemed everything could finally proceed according to schedule.

”Indeed,” Veyarel said with a nod. ”The patriarch will need a few months to fully stabilize his new realm, so we should be departing in about six months.”

”Understood,” Emery replied.

Later that evening, after countless toasts had been shared and the celebration was drawing to a close, Emery quietly drew Veyarel aside.

”Senior,” he asked in a lowered voice, ”have you made your decision?”

It was the question he had been waiting to ask.

Would Veyarel accept becoming one of his Khaos Seeds?

The elder had refused once before. At the time, he could not abandon his responsibilities to the Karat Faction while the patriarch’s grand tribulation still loomed ahead. But now that Rosin had survived and an expedition into another realm lay before them, the value of wielding the power of the Master of Space had become even more apparent.

Even so, Emery was not entirely certain of the answer. Becoming a Khaos Seed meant, in a sense, becoming part of Emery’s own faction—a decision no elder of the Karat Faction could make lightly.

Veyarel met his gaze, his expression calm yet resolute.

”If not for you... my life would have ended in that godforsaken place,” he said quietly. ”Now that my Lord has recovered and successfully broken through, the burden I have carried has finally been lifted.”

He lowered his head slightly.

”Yes... I accept.”