Three Thousand Great Realms.

Forbidden Sect.

"Personal disciple Freddy Gingell trespassed on the Sect’s forbidden grounds. By the sect rules, he should be expelled!"

Inside the vast palace hall,

a thin young man knelt on the stone floor.

He wasn’t exactly handsome,

but there was something oddly appealing about his face.

His name was Freddy Gingell —

one of those who crossed over from other worlds.

High above, several of the Forbidden Sect’s elders sat in silence.

One of them, an elderly man with snow-white hair,

had eyes like knives.

The heavy pressure he gave off made the whole palace feel stifling.

This man was Chuck Beddington, the Second Elder.

Known outside as the Ancient Saint Lingqing.

And right now, he looked like he wanted Freddy dead.

It was clear that voice just now came from him.

"Yeah! Kick that troublemaker out already!"

"Second Elder's right!"

"Should’ve been thrown out long ago!"

"Hah… He raised hell for us plenty. Now he broke into sacred grounds—even Mortimer Raven won’t save him this time!"

"Exactly. Even elders get punished for trespassing there!"

Behind Freddy, a group of core disciples sneered and grumbled like bitter housewives.

They couldn’t wait for him to be thrown out—for good.

Freddy turned and shot them a glare,

then looked up at the middle-aged man seated at the highest point,

his tone a bit pitiful:

"Master Booth, I didn’t mean to enter the forbidden grounds.

I was practicing a teleportation move. The direction got messed up, I ended up there by accident...

Please, believe me!"

That man with a calm and regal air,

was none other than Booth Johnson, Sect Master of the Forbidden Sect.

"This..."

He hesitated, brows slightly furrowed.

“Second Elder, Freddy is Mortimer Raven’s only personal disciple...

We should wait until Elder Raven returns from seclusion before making any final decision..."

Booth thought of Raven’s infamous temper and felt a headache coming on.

If Raven came back and found his treasured disciple kicked out,

things would go sideways fast.

Several other elders nodded quietly.

"Hmph!"

Chuck Beddington let out a cold snort.

“Sect rules were set by the ancestors.

Even that old ghost Mortimer can’t change them!”

Chuck was dead set on kicking Freddy out—and today was the day.

Freddy finally had enough.

He threw up his hands, voice biting.

"Come on, Second Elder!

Because I pulled a few herbs from your field last month, you're still holding a grudge?

A few young stalks and you’re ready to exile me?!"

Small-minded old man. So damn petty.

"Silence!"

"Still dare talk back?!"“Master Booth, throw this troublemaker out of the sect now!”

Freddy Gingell fumed, gripping a pouch of spirit herbs.

He’d nearly died retrieving those herbs from a deathtrap, only to plant them yesterday and find them ripped out by that little bastard today.

“Who’s the old fool trying to drive my disciple out?!”

BOOM—

A thunderous voice tore through the Forbidden Sect’s vast headquarters.

Booth Johnson, Chuck Beddington, and the gathered elders all jerked to their feet. Their faces wore nothing but utter shock.

That voice—too familiar, too powerful. It carried the unmatched might of an Emperor.

“Master!”

Freddy’s tense body loosened instantly as he recognized the voice. His lips curled into a faint smile.

Ever since arriving in this world, he’d lost all family. Mortimer Raven had found him wandering the lower realms and taken him in. And ever since they’d returned to the sect, his master had been in seclusion.

It had been over a decade since Freddy last saw him.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The skies shook. Rivers and mountains trembled. Visions of heavenly laws appeared across the entire Tri-Realm World.

Countless mighty factions were shaken.

“Damn... A new Emperor’s been born!”

“Which faction broke through this time?”

“That direction... looks like the Forbidden Sect!”

Gasps echoed across the land. Cultivators everywhere snapped out of secluded cultivation, gazes fixed on the Forbidden Sect with awe and fear.

Roughly a hundred miles away—

An old man in dark robes stared toward the sect in stunned silence. Next to him stood a black-haired young man.

“Master, are we still going to the Forbidden Sect?” the youth asked, eyes narrowing.

The old man’s eyes flickered, lips tight before he nodded.

“We are.”

“Didn’t you want to challenge the sect’s top disciples?”

“Word is, they’re about to start selecting sequence disciples soon. Perfect time to test them... and maybe figure out which fossil just became an Emperor.”

With that, the old man flicked his sleeve. A surge of force lifted the youth into the air, and they both vanished in a flash.

Meanwhile—

The terrifying phenomena above the sect vanished under one overwhelming burst of energy.

Inside the great hall, a towering figure appeared without a sound.

An old man, clad in plain robes, yet every presence in the room flinched.

Freddy’s master. The Third Elder.

Mortimer Raven—known to outsiders as the Ancient Saint Raven.

Now standing quietly at the center, his aura restrained. But when his eyes landed on Freddy, his calm expression swiftly cracked.

His brows twisted. Rage flared behind his gaze.Even though he hadn’t seen his beloved disciple in years, Mortimer Raven recognized Freddy Gingell at a glance.

"Third Elder, you’ve stepped into the Emperor realm?!" Booth Johnson finally reacted, excitement flashing in his eyes.

But Chuck Beddington, standing beside him, looked like he’d seen a ghost, staring at Elder Raven in disbelief—mixed with a hint of jealousy.

Mortimer Raven didn’t even glance at Booth. He went straight to Freddy.

Freddy immediately put on a pitiful face. "Master..."

Before Freddy could say more, Mortimer grabbed his wrist, expression turning stormy.

"My good disciple, why do you have only two and a half years of lifespan left?!"

"Who did this to you?!"

"Tell me—I’ll not only finish the bastard, but I’ll dig up his ancestors too!"

"Goddammit!"

"What?!"

His outburst made Booth and all the elders around visibly shift, their divine senses brushing over Freddy—sure enough, only two and a half years of life left...

They’d been too caught up in the fact Freddy had trespassed into the sect’s forbidden grounds to notice before.

Freddy waved it off and leaned in to whisper beside Mortimer’s ear, "Master, no one did this to me. I was bored these years, so I practiced all of our Forbidden Sect’s thousand taboo techniques."

"It’s just... they burn through lifespan like crazy..."

Mortimer stared at him, dumbstruck, then whispered back in disbelief, "What in the—the whole thousand?!"

Freddy spread his hands and nodded.

Mortimer instantly dragged Freddy off to a corner and sent him a secret voice message, "Disciple, I need a favor."

"Just say it, Master!"

"Join the sect’s Sequence Trials. Win that number-zero spot and become the next Sect Heir."

Freddy scratched his head. "Eh... Let me survive the next round first, not get kicked out of the sect..."

"I did break some rules..."

Mortimer turned on his heel, a cold grin spreading across his face. He pulled Freddy behind him and fixed his gaze on Booth and the surrounding elders.

"Heh..."

“With me here, let’s see who dares to throw my disciple out today.”

“Step back, disciple. Let your master deal with this nonsense!”

【Ding!】

【You have gained +10000 Protectiveness Points!】

The system chimed in Freddy’s mind the moment Mortimer finished shouting.