Grand Return System

Chapter 250: A Visitor in the Hidden Cave

A Visitor in the Hidden Cave

His eyes opened completely.

A satisfied smile appeared on his face.

Everything had gone even better than expected.

The Prime Dragon runes.

The Golden Physic of Prime Dragon.

The second Purple Lotus of Great Principal.

The breakthrough into the Pinnacle Realm.

Every objective had been completed successfully.

The vast Spiritual Mana Powered Cave had become unusually quiet.

The once vibrant Mana Lake had completely dried up.

Ancient spiritual mist that had filled the cave for countless years was gone.

Even the air felt thinner than before.

Leon slowly lowered his gaze and examined himself.

The golden runes that had covered his body gradually faded beneath his skin, leaving behind only a faint trace of their existence.

The terrifying power remained.

His muscles felt lighter and stronger at the same time.

Every movement carried explosive force.

His heartbeat sounded like distant thunder.

Even without activating any cultivation technique, he could feel endless strength flowing through his body.

A grin appeared on his face.

Then a cold breeze suddenly swept through the cave.

Leon blinked.

"..."

His gaze slowly lowered.

Then froze.

His clothes were gone.

Completely gone.

Not a single piece remained.

The violent breakthrough had reduced everything to dust.

Leon immediately felt his heart ache.

"This is all money! I haven’t had my fill of the new custom-made clothes yet, yet it has been scrapped. Fortunately, I prepared a few more clothes before I went down the mountain in case of emergencies. Otherwise, going out naked like this would damage my dignity..."

The more he thought about it, the more painful it became.

Those robes were not cheap.

Every stitch had cost spirit stones.

Spirit stones meant resources.

Resources meant cultivation.

Cultivation meant strength.

Strength meant survival.

Therefore...

Destroyed clothes equaled financial disaster.

After reaching that ridiculous conclusion, Leon quickly took out a fresh set of robes from his storage pendant.

A moment later, he was once again dressed in his familiar midnight-colored robes embroidered with faint amethyst patterns.

Only then did he finally feel comfortable.

"Much better."

He adjusted his sleeves and nodded in satisfaction.

The elegant robes immediately restored his immortal-like appearance.

Leon slowly raised his right hand.

He clenched his fist.

Boom.

The surrounding space distorted slightly.

Pure physical strength.

No mana.

No techniques.

Just raw power.

A look of surprise flashed through his eyes.

The strength contained within this body was far beyond his expectations.

His confidence immediately soared.

"If I encounter that Inferno Swift Bird again..."

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

"I’ll definitely kill it."

Back then, his cultivation had been limited.

His body hadn’t been perfected.

His foundation wasn’t complete.

Now everything was different.

His breakthrough had transformed every aspect of his strength.

At that moment—

A faint ripple suddenly spread through the cave.

Leon instantly narrowed his eyes.

The smile disappeared.

Someone was approaching.

The stone walls at the entrance trembled slightly.

Tiny pebbles rolled down.

The movement was extremely subtle.

Ordinary cultivators might have missed it.

Leon did not.

His newly enhanced senses immediately locked onto the source.

Someone had entered the hidden cave.

His expression became strange.

The presence felt familiar.

Very familiar.

A moment later, a trace of blue mana entered his perception.

Water mana.

Pure.

Gentle.

Yet carrying astonishing power beneath its calm surface.

The corner of Leon’s mouth twitched.

"Maya?"

He instantly recognized the aura.

At the same time, he felt somewhat surprised.

The hidden cave was concealed extremely well.

The time array concealed most traces of his presence.

Yet she had still managed to find it.

Leon extended his divine sense slightly.

Only then did he discover what had happened.

His breakthrough had left faint mana traces outside.

Maya had followed those traces all the way from the coastline where the sharp fang karken died.

Step by step.

Without giving up.

All the way to this hidden cave.

Leon suddenly felt amused.

"She really chased me all the way here?"

A playful thought appeared in his mind.

Since Maya had worked so hard finding him...

Why not have a little fun?

The idea immediately took root.

Without hesitation, Leon completely concealed his aura.

The second Purple Lotus rotated silently.

The Prime Dragon runes suppressed every fluctuation.

His presence vanished.

Not weakened.

Not hidden.

Vanished.

Even a Sage Realm expert would struggle to locate him.

Then Leon quietly moved behind a massive black stone near the side of the cave.

His purple eyes watched the entrance with amusement.

A few moments later—

The stone wall slowly shifted.

A slender figure carefully squeezed inside.

Maya.

Her long blue hair swayed gently behind her.

Her sky-blue robes fluttered softly as she stepped into the cave.

Unlike her usual calm and detached appearance, she looked surprisingly cautious.

Water mana quietly flowed around her body.

Several floating droplets circled her like tiny guardians.

Her beautiful blue eyes continuously scanned the surroundings.

Every step was measured.

Every movement was careful.

The hidden cave was simply too mysterious.

Even Maya could not relax her guard.

Leon watched silently.

The more he watched, the more amused he became.

After entering completely, Maya paused.

Her brows furrowed slightly.

"Hm?"

The aura ended here.

She had followed Leon’s mana trail all the way to this location.

Yet now—

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

It was as though Leon had vanished from existence.

Meanwhile, behind the stone, Leon almost laughed.

Maya naturally couldn’t find him.

His concealment ability had increased dramatically after forming the second Purple Lotus.

Even standing only a short distance away, she couldn’t detect him.

Maya slowly walked deeper into the cave.

As she moved, she muttered softly to herself.

"Damn it, where did he hide?! His aura clearly disappeared here, why isn’t he here..."

A trace of frustration appeared on her face.

She had spent days searching.

Crossed the sea of blood.

Followed battle traces.

Tracked residual mana.

And finally reached this place.

Only for Leon to disappear.

Anyone would be annoyed.

Leon silently covered his mouth.

For the first time in a long while, he found himself genuinely entertained.

Maya continued searching.

Soon she arrived at the center of the cave.

The moment she saw the surroundings clearly, her expression changed.

Her blue eyes widened slightly.

Shock appeared on her usually calm face.

"There’s actually a time domain array here?"

Her voice echoed softly.

Even someone like Maya couldn’t remain calm.

Time arrays were incredibly rare.

They involved one of the highest laws of existence.

Such opportunities could not be measured with ordinary treasures.

Her gaze slowly moved toward the dried Mana Lake.

The signs of cultivation were obvious.

The surrounding mana had been completely absorbed.

The ground itself still carried traces of overwhelming power.

Someone had cultivated here for a very long time.

And that person could only be Leon.

Maya slowly approached.

The closer she got, the more shocked she became.

The residual aura remaining around the dried lake was far stronger than before.

Far stronger.

A complicated emotion appeared in her eyes.

"So... you broke through again."

She quietly whispered.

A faint smile appeared.

Yet behind that smile was a trace of helplessness.

The gap between them was growing larger.

Every time she thought she had caught up slightly...

Leon would take another giant step forward.

She stood beside the dried Mana Lake and carefully examined everything.

The cave became silent once again.

Water droplets fell slowly from the cave ceiling.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

The sound echoed through the darkness.

Leon remained hidden.

Maya remained unaware.

Neither moved.

The strange silence continued.

Then suddenly—

A playful thought appeared in Leon’s mind.

The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

His finger moved.

A tiny pebble rolled across the ground.

At the same moment—

From somewhere behind Maya—

A strange sound echoed through the cave.

"Booh..."