With his new staff, Yun Che, Xiao Lingxi, and Xiao Lie, settled into their roles, Jaune was ready to go to Frozen Cloud Asgard.
However, just as he was preparing to leave, the arrogant presence of the Xiao Sect returned.
Xiao Kuangyun, humiliated and blinded by rage, had quickly gathered his remaining subordinates.
Ignoring the frantic warnings of his own Sect Elder, who had tried to stop him from a distance, Xiao Kuangyun approached the new shop branch in Floating Cloud City.
"Destroy his shop! Smash every cursed item inside! Even though he is a Sky Profound Realm expert, he won't dare touch me! I am the son of the Sect Master!"
He screamed, believing his powerful background was an absolute shield.
However, the threat wasn't directed at Jaune's physical form; it was directed at the Multiverse Shop.
[WARNING: Detects enemies who intend to destroy the shop. Safety protocol activated.]
The shop was an impartial entity.
If Xiao Kuangyun was merely trying to steal items, the shop would do nothing, allowing Jaune and his staff to handle the fight.
But actively seeking to destroy the premises and harm its staff was a direct violation of the shop's core policies, triggering an automated, devastating retaliation.
In that instant, the air surrounding the shop cracked, not with the sound of thunder, but with a silent, profound cosmic distortion.
Xiao Kuangyun froze, his eyes locked on an impossible vision. He saw them—a pair of vast, magnificent eyes, radiating pure, digital authority, seemingly covering the entire universe, focusing all their cold, immense attention directly on him.
It was Ciel, the System's true essence, momentarily manifesting a sliver of her power.
Xiao Kuangyun's mind, unable to comprehend the sheer scale of the System's presence, shattered instantly.
His body collapsed, lifeless.
All of his subordinates, who had also seen the impossible, beautiful, terrifying eyes, suffered the exact same fate.
The Xiao Sect Elder, who had desperately tried to restrain Xiao Kuangyun, also saw the vision, but since he had no intention of harming the shop or its staff, he was allowed to live.
He gasped, sweat pouring down his face, and quickly hoisted the limp body of Xiao Kuangyun onto his shoulder before fleeing, running for his life.
He knew he had to tell the patriarch of the Xiao Sect everything—that they had offended an entity so vast, so powerful, that even the combined might of their Sect and the surrounding Sacred Grounds could not withstand it.
Jaune watched the whole thing unfold through his mental connection with the System.
He shook his head grimly.
This was the first time he had witnessed someone killed directly.
He felt a moment of unease, but his mind, strengthened by the Flood Dragon God Body and Pearl's meditation, was strong enough to compartmentalize.
"I don't have to worry about Che and Lingxi's immediate safety now,"
Jaune confirmed to Ciel.
"However, Elder Lie still needs to become strong. If I leave, and someone tries to steal items without destroying the shop, the cost will be mine to pay."
He turned to the waiting women.
"Let's go to your sect, Miss Chu. I want to finish this job and go back home already."
Xia Qingyue immediately perked up, her disappointment replaced by eager curiosity.
"Home? Where is your home, Young Master? Is it the Realm of Gods?"
Chu Yueli quickly shook her head, subtly reprimanding her disciple's forwardness.
Her disciple had changed rapidly since getting a glimpse of the Divine path from him.
'The Realm of Gods…'
Chu Yueli thought, watching the strange, powerful young man.
'He speaks of it like a distant holiday destination. I have to tell the Matriarch everything immediately.'
"Humm, may be, it's a place called Remnant,"
Jaune said with a smile, his mind already drifting back to Beacon, his team, and the simple conflicts of his own world.
"It's a long way from here. Maybe even more far from the realm of gods."
He nodded to Chu Yueli.
"Ready to fly?"