The Almighty Dominance novel Chapter 576

On the platform, after defeating Chen Liong, Alex swayed once—then his body gave out.

Every muscle in him had reached its limit. His arms trembled uncontrollably. His chest burned as if it had been torn open from the inside.

Pain screamed through his bones. He had pushed himself far beyond what his body could endure.

Then everything went black.

Eight Fatty reacted instantly. He rushed forward, grabbed Alex before he could collapse to the floor, and supported his weight with both arms.

Carefully—almost urgently—he pulled Alex away from the center, shielding him from the eyes of the crowd.

The other Fatty brothers hurried over and gathered around Eight Fatty and Alex, their faces tight with worry.

“Don’t tell me he died dramatically and left us some legendary inheritance,” Fourth Fatty blurted out, eyes wide.

“Shut your mouth,” Third Fatty snapped, smacking him on the back of the head. “Don’t curse him, you idiot. He’s not dead.”

He leaned closer, listening carefully.

“…He’s snoring.”

The Fatty brothers froze.

Four Fatty rubbed his face in disbelief. “Unbelievable. The guy nearly tore two factions apart… and now he’s sleeping like he just won a pillow fight.”

At the same time, First Fatty stepped onto the platform.

His heavy footsteps thudded against the stone, each step deliberate, commanding attention. The echoes rolled across the courtyard and silenced the murmurs.

“Dear brothers and sisters,” he announced. “As you can see, our Ninth Brother has already reached his limit. The fight ends here.”

His gaze swept over the crowd—sharp, warning.

“And we don’t want any trouble. So I ask every one of you to swear on your Dao Heart that you will never speak a word about this fight to anyone outside this place.”

He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in.

“We don’t want the outer disciples being humiliated by a servant to become a laughingstoc.”

Silence fell.

Everyone understood.

This fight had crushed the pride of both the Dragon Group and the Tiger Group. If word spread, their reputations would be destroyed. And if anyone dared to cause trouble for them because of gossip…

They might not live long enough to regret it.

Excitement wasn’t worth dying for.

One by one, the spectators stepped forward.

“I swear upon my Dao Heart.”

“I swear.”

“I will never reveal this matter.”

The words echoed solemnly across the platform.

For cultivators like them, the Dao Heart was everything.

A pure heart. A clear mind. Alignment with the will of nature.

To swear upon the Dao Heart was no small thing. If they broke that oath, it would leave a stain—a dark blemish buried deep within their spirit.

That stain would grow into a flaw, and that flaw would become a demon when they tried to break through to higher realms of cultivation.

Once they swore, they could never cross that line.

And so, every single one of them swore.

Meanwhile, far above the platform, at the peak of the highest mountain, a solitary building thrust out into the open air like a blade cutting through the sky.

It clung to the cliff’s edge, suspended between earth and clouds, as if it ruled everything below.

Inside stood two figures.

One was an old man.

The other was Li Chingxue.

The old man had a full head of white hair that flowed down his back, yet his complexion was ruddy and vibrant. His eyes glittered with sharp intelligence and quiet power.

He stood at the edge of the structure, hands clasped behind his back, looking down at the scene unfolding below.

His gaze was calm.

But within it flickered unmistakable interest.

“What an interesting child you brought back to the sect, Qingxue.” The old man chuckled, low and amused.

Li Chingxue felt a faint headache forming at her temples. She lowered her gaze slightly. “Sect Leader, I only brought him here to protect his life. I never expected him to stir up this kind of trouble inside the sect. If you wish, I can have him expelled immediately.”

“Oh? Did he poison the elders?” the old man asked.

“But if he ever steps into the ranks of the outer disciples, remember this—send him to the Pill Refinement Department immediately.”

It was not a suggestion.

It was an order.

The next morning, Alex woke up in his room.

The soreness was still there, buried deep in his muscles. His body felt like it had been beaten with iron rods. But the pain wasn’t what bothered him most.

It was regret.

He stared at the ceiling, jaw tight.

He should never have gone out like that. Never should have stepped onto that platform. He had painted a target on his own back. In a place crawling with cultivators stronger than him, showing off was the fastest way to die.

He had wanted to stay hidden. Quiet. Invisible.

He only needed time—time to find a way out of this world and return to Xia, to Estoria, even to Prussia if he had to.

“I came here to live,” he muttered bitterly. “Not to die like an idiot.”

He knew the truth. He was still weak. This place was full of monsters wearing human faces. People far stronger than him were everywhere. He was supposed to be a shadow no one noticed.

Not a shooting target.

“Fudge!” he snapped, sitting up abruptly.

“I’m not stepping out of the kitchen anymore. Not unless I have to.”

His eyes hardened.

“And I’m going to cultivate. I’m going to get stronger. I’ll take back my former power.”

He clenched his fists.

“When I reach that level again, I don’t care who stands in my way. They won’t be able to stop me from walking out of here.”

He jumped off the bed, grabbed several pills from the kitchen storage, and swallowed them in quick succession. Then he sat cross-legged on the floor, closed his eyes, and immediately began to cultivate.

This time, there would be no showing off.

Only growth.

Only power.

And the long preparation for escape.