Chapter 20: The Celestial Golden Sky Citadel Part 3: The Ancient Wings Descend (Continuation) The battlefield became strangely quiet. Not because the battle had stopped. But because every existence present could feel something changing. The air. The spiritual energy. Even the laws of the surrounding space. Everything reacted to Adrian. The three ancient Garuda elders watched carefully. They had lived for thousands of years. They had seen countless geniuses. They had witnessed humans, demons, spirits, and divine beings rise and fall. But they had never seen someone like this. A cultivator who did not simply fight. A cultivator who evolved through battle. The first elder narrowed his eyes. "His understanding is changing." The second elder nodded. "He is not only resisting our techniques." "He is using them as a foundation." The third elder remained silent. His expression was the most serious among them. Because he understood something. The longer they fought... The more dangerous Adrian became. The Originless Path was not a fixed cultivation system. It was an endless process of evolution. And battle was the fastest way for it to grow. The third elder clenched his fist. "Then we must defeat him before he fully understands us." The moment his words ended— All three elders moved. Not separately. Together. For the first time, the ancient Garuda elders combined their powers. The sky changed. The first elder controlled the domain. The second elder controlled the attack. The third elder controlled the physical destruction. Three different paths. One complete technique. "Ancient Garuda Supreme Art." "Three Heaven Wing Formation." The entire Celestial Golden Sky Citadel responded. The fortress released its energy. The domain expanded. Golden spiritual energy covered the entire battlefield. The three elders disappeared into the formation. Then— A gigantic golden Garuda phantom appeared above the clouds. Its wings covered the sky. Its eyes looked down upon all beings. Even the Naga elders felt their bodies become heavy. "This..." "This is their ancestor's technique." One Naga elder whispered. "The technique created from the original Garuda bloodline." The Naga King looked at Adrian. "This attack..." "Can he stop it?" Nobody answered. Because even the Naga elders did not know. The golden Garuda phantom opened its wings. The sky cracked. Thousands of golden feathers descended. But unlike before... These feathers contained the power of the three elders combined. Each feather contained: The first elder's domain suppression. The second elder's cutting power. The third elder's destructive force. A perfect combination. The attack descended. Adrian looked at it. His expression remained calm. But his eyes became sharper. This was the strongest attack he had faced in this battle. Good. The Originless Path required challenges. Adrian placed his hand on the Void Sovereign Skyblade. "Old techniques are not enough." The sword trembled. "New understanding is required." He closed his eyes. For a brief moment... The battlefield disappeared. The golden feathers. The Garuda elders. The fortress. Everything became information. Not enemies. Not obstacles. Concepts. The first elder's power represented control. The second elder's power represented precision. The third elder's power represented force. Three different aspects. Three different principles. Adrian understood. A sword did not need to overpower everything. A sword needed to find the correct point. The weakest connection. The hidden imbalance. The origin of failure. His eyes opened. A silver light appeared. "Originless Sword Path..." The Void Sovereign Skyblade moved. "Second Evolution." The Garuda elders became alert. Second evolution? He had already evolved the technique during battle. But now... He was taking another step. "Originless Principle Severance." The sword descended. Not a powerful slash. Not an explosive attack. A simple movement. The blade touched the golden feathers. And then... Nothing happened. For one second. Two seconds. The Garuda warriors watching from below were confused. Did the attack fail? Then— Crack. A small crack appeared in the golden Garuda phantom. The elders' expressions changed. Because Adrian did not destroy their technique. He found the connection that held it together. The relationship between three different powers. Control. Precision. Force. Then he separated them. The golden phantom began collapsing. The sky shook. The three elders were forced to reveal themselves. The first elder looked at Adrian with disbelief. "You..." "You cut the foundation of our technique." Adrian lowered the sword. "Every existence has a structure." "Every technique has a foundation." "Everything that exists has a connection." "If that connection can be understood..." "It can be changed." Silence. The Garuda elders stared at him. For the first time... They truly understood what made Adrian different. He was not stronger because his energy was greater. He was stronger because his understanding continued expanding. The second elder looked at his own hands. "Our techniques..." "Thousands of years of refinement..." "Yet he understood the weakness in moments." The third elder stepped forward again. But this time... His expression had changed. There was no longer only hostility. There was caution. "Human." "What exactly is your cultivation path?" Adrian looked toward the endless sky. "A path without a fixed origin." "A path created from my own understanding." "The Originless Path." The elders remained silent. Because they had finally realized. This battle was not only a battle between races. It was a clash between two different philosophies. The Garuda represented inheritance. A power passed from generation to generation. Adrian represented creation. A power born from continuous evolution. At that moment— Deep beneath the Celestial Golden Sky Citadel... Something ancient moved. Not awakening. Not yet. But awareness. After thousands of years of silence... The ancient Garuda ancestor sensed something unfamiliar. A power that did not belong to heaven. A path that did not follow fate. A being who carried no ancient bloodline... Yet challenged the descendants of the sky. A pair of ancient eyes slowly opened. And for the first time in countless years... The ancestor looked toward the outside world. "Originless..." A voice filled with endless age echoed. "What kind of existence are you?"