Grand Return System

The Flame of Nirvana

"...This..."

Everyone unconsciously retreated several more steps.

Their faces were filled with disbelief.

"Is this..."

"The power of an immortal pill?"

Someone whispered in awe.

"He’s..."

"Actually, coming back to life..."

Before anyone could recover from the shock—

Shera’s eyelashes trembled.

His fingers twitched.

Then...

His entire body shuddered slightly.

"He moved!"

"He’s alive!"

"Guardian Elder Shera is alive!"

Excited cries echoed throughout the battlefield.

The immortal energy continued its work.

Layer after layer of radiant light washed over Shera’s body.

The countless wounds covering his flesh healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Cuts closed.

Broken skin regenerated.

Damaged muscles were restored.

Even scars left from previous battles quietly disappeared.

Within moments...

Every external injury had completely vanished.

His internal injuries also recovered one after another.

However...

The Blood Drinking Skill he had unleashed before death had consumed far more than flesh and blood.

It had burned away the very essence of his vitality.

Although the Phoenix Rebirth Pill restored his life...

It could not instantly replenish everything that had been sacrificed.

As the immortal radiance gradually faded, Shera’s body underwent another change.

His skin slowly shrank against his frame.

His cheeks became hollow.

His once-powerful physique appeared thin and withered, as though decades had suddenly passed.

He resembled a man who had survived death itself—

Alive...

But having paid a terrible price.

Shan’s joy instantly turned into worry.

He hurried forward but stopped himself from interfering.

Looking anxiously toward Leon, he asked,

"Guardian Elder..."

"My father is..."

Leon calmly waved his hand, signaling Shan to relax.

"It’s fine."

"Earlier, your father used the Blood Drinking Skill and burned away most of his blood essence. His body suffered an enormous loss of vitality."

He looked toward the cocoon of immortal light and continued in a composed tone,

"However, that isn’t a major problem."

"The Phoenix Rebirth Pill will restore everything he lost."

A faint smile appeared on Leon’s face.

"Perhaps..."

"After surviving this calamity..."

"Your father will obtain an unexpected opportunity."

His words carried hidden meaning.

Shan blinked in confusion.

"So will everyone else."

No one understood what Leon meant by "unexpected opportunity."

The elders exchanged puzzled glances.

Even Maya tilted her head slightly, curiosity filling her blue eyes.

At that very moment...

The cocoon surrounding Shera suddenly trembled.

Boom...

A deep pulse echoed from within.

The immortal light grew brighter and brighter until no one could look directly at it.

Golden-white radiance intertwined with crimson flames, slowly enveloping the entire cocoon.

"...What is happening?"

One elder unconsciously stepped backward.

Before anyone could answer—

Whoosh!

Scarlet-gold flames erupted from the cocoon.

They did not resemble ordinary fire.

They burned without smoke.

They radiated neither scorching heat nor destructive intent.

Instead...

They carried an ancient, sacred aura that seemed capable of purifying heaven and earth.

The flames rose higher and higher.

Within them, Shera’s silhouette became visible.

The immortal flames slowly consumed his body.

His robes turned into countless glowing particles before vanishing.

The flesh on his body dissolved into streams of brilliant light.

His muscles...

His bones...

His blood...

Everything was reduced to pure essence within the sacred fire.

Yet strangely...

There was no trace of pain upon his face.

His expression remained peaceful.

It was as though the flames were not destroying him...

But washing away every imperfection accumulated throughout his lifetime.

The crowd stared in complete silence.

"This..."

"...Nirvana?"

An elder muttered in disbelief.

Everyone drew in a sharp breath.

They had only heard ancient legends describing the rebirth of supreme beings through Nirvana.

Never had they imagined witnessing it with their own eyes.

Within the blazing fire...

Shera’s old body completely disappeared.

Nothing remained except a glowing humanoid outline suspended inside the flames.

Then...

The reconstruction began.

Countless strands of immortal energy gathered from every direction.

The first thing to form was his skeleton.

Snow-white bones shimmered with golden runes as each vertebra, rib, and finger bone was recreated.

Every crack that had accumulated over decades of cultivation disappeared completely.

The skeleton shone like flawless jade.

Then fresh blood emerged.

Golden-red blood flowed through newly formed veins, filling every part of the body with vibrant life.

Soon after...

Muscles, organs, and meridians began taking shape.

Every damaged meridian was broadened and strengthened.

His spiritual core blazed with renewed brilliance.

The immortal energy continued weaving together muscles stronger than before, skin smoother than ever, and a physique free from every hidden injury he had accumulated over the years.

The sacred flames never ceased.

Instead, they repeatedly burned away every remaining impurity.

Each cycle made his body more refined.

More complete.

More powerful.

His black hair regrew strand by strand, darker and glossier than before.

His handsome features gradually emerged from the sea of flames.

Firm eyebrows.

Sharp eyes.

A calm yet heroic face.

The appearance of the spirited young man he had once been.

The sacred fire slowly diminished.

The cocoon surrounding him became increasingly transparent.

Crack...

A tiny fracture appeared across its surface.

Then another.

And another.

Within moments, countless glowing cracks spread across the entire shell.

Boom!

The cocoon shattered into countless particles of light.

A powerful wave of Mana swept across the battlefield.

Shera slowly descended from the sky.

His youthful appearance stunned everyone.

He looked no older than when he had first risen through Celestis Academy.

His posture was straight.

His handsome face carried a trace of carefree confidence.

Even the years that had once weighed upon him had disappeared.

"...Impossible..."

Several elders rubbed their eyes.

No one could believe what they were seeing.

"He’s..."

"Returned to his youth..."

One disciple swallowed hard.

"I never imagined Guardian Elder Shera was so handsome when he was young..."

Another elder burst into laughter.

"Haha..."

"No wonder he was so popular in his younger days."

Shera himself slowly opened his eyes.

He lowered his hands and quietly examined them.

Power.

Boundless vitality surged through every meridian.

His heartbeat was steady.

His breathing was full of life.

The weakness left behind by the Blood Drinking Skill had completely vanished.

His damaged foundation...

Had been restored.

Not only that...

His body felt lighter than ever before.

The bottleneck that had trapped him for countless years now seemed ready to shatter at any moment.

"I..."

"I can break through..."