Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 235: The Ancient Ruins (Part-7)

"Zora, you scared me to death!" Reesa hugged her hard, her voice trembling with lingering fear. "You disappeared for so long. I really thought something had happened to you."

Zora felt warmth spread through her chest. She shook her head quickly and said with a smile, "I’m fine. Really. Seeing you safe is such a relief."

Earlier, when she had seen Reesa and the others trapped in the illusion, she had been worried sick. Now, seeing Reesa standing here bright-eyed and unharmed, that lingering anxiety finally melted away.

Her gaze instinctively swept past Reesa, searching the crowd.

Before she could ask, a low, teasing voice sounded behind her.

"Darling, are you looking for me?"

Zora turned around at once.

Prince Kael stood there, his lips curved into a faint smile, amusement and relief hidden deep in his eyes.

A quiet joy flashed through Zora’s gaze, and the corners of her lips lifted unconsciously. Her foot stepped forward automatically, and a surge of emotion, wanting to hug him, emerged in her head, just for a moment, but in the last second, she suppressed that feeling again, stopping in the tracks and gave a nod instead.

As long as he was safe, everything else didn’t matter.

"Zora, how did you end up stuck inside for so long?" Reesa then asked, curiosity mixed with concern.

Zora gave a helpless laugh. "I was trapped inside. It took me quite a while to find the way out."

As she spoke, she finally took a proper look at her surroundings. Only then did she realize that everyone had gathered in one place.

What surprised her was that this wasn’t the area where she had entered the stone chamber earlier. It was a completely different location.

"Why is everyone here?" she asked, puzzled. "Shouldn’t the ruins have been explored by now?"

Reesa sighed and pointed ahead. "I’ve been here for almost ten days. Everyone says this stone gate leads to the main hall, where the true inheritance is hidden. But no matter what we do, we can’t open it."

She shook her head helplessly. "After coming this far, no one is willing to leave without seeing the final treasure. So everyone’s been stuck here waiting. You were the last one."

Zora finally understood. Her eyes shifted to the enormous stone gate before them.

Compared to this towering structure, the stone chamber she had emerged from earlier was no more than a small side room.

The massive stone door was engraved with intricate, ancient patterns. They were complex yet harmonious, exuding a solemn beauty that quietly inspired awe.

At that moment, Alaric Von Seraph and the others approached as well, familiar faces lighting up with relief.

"Zora, thank goodness you’re safe," Tiffany said with a smile. "Everyone’s been worried sick."

Only then did Zora notice the injuries on Tiffany and Marcus.

Her expression tightened slightly. "What happened to you?"

Marcus waved his hand with a carefree smile. "It’s nothing serious. Just a small injury."

Seeing that both Marcus and Tiffany looked energetic and stable, Zora relaxed slightly. From a physician’s perspective, Marcus’s injuries were indeed minor and posed no real concern.

Tiffany looked at Zora, a warm smile spreading across his face. "As long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters."

During the half-month she had vanished, he had never truly felt at ease. Only now, seeing her standing before them in one piece, did the tight knot in his chest finally loosen.

Miel, however, studied Zora more closely. The longer he looked, the more astonished he became.

"Zora..." he said slowly, eyes widening. "Your aura feels different. Much stronger than before."

His words immediately drew everyone’s attention.

Sebastian’s gaze sharpened, and his expression shifted in disbelief. "Zora... your aura... it’s not even in the Heaven Realm. It seemed much stronger than that. Don’t tell me you’ve already broken through to the innate realm?"

The moment those words fell, the surrounding group froze.

Reesa stared at Zora as if she had been struck by lightning. "Wait—what?"

That had to be a joke.

She had only been gone for half a month. How could she possibly have stepped into the innate realm? Breaking into the Heaven Realm can be accepted if she encounters a fortuitous encounter. But Innate realm? Seriously?

Facing their stunned expressions, Zora smiled calmly and nodded. "Yes. I just broke through to the first stage of the innate realm."

"Hiss—"

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.

Reesa sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. "Zora, what kind of monstrous opportunity did you run into during these days?"

That kind of leap in strength was simply unbelievable.

Under normal circumstances, even a talented cultivator at the brink of the Late-stage Heaven Realm would need at least one or two years to cross that threshold. Zora had done it in half a month, from the Sky realm to the Innate realm. How could anyone not feel envious?

Though Tiffany and the others didn’t voice it outright, the astonishment and envy in their eyes were unmistakable.

"I was trapped in a stone chamber earlier," Zora explained. "There were many Essence Fruits inside. I couldn’t find a way out, so I stayed there cultivating. Only after I absorbed all of them did the stone door finally open."

Realization dawned on everyone.

Essence Fruits were extremely rare treasures. Being locked in a chamber full of them was already a blessing from the heavens. What was even more outrageous was that the chamber wouldn’t open until they were all absorbed.

They couldn’t help comparing it to their own experiences. The stone chambers they encountered were either empty or filled with items ruined by time. Even when they found sealed rooms, they couldn’t open them no matter what they tried.

Meanwhile, Zora had stumbled into a chamber packed with Essence Fruits, been forced to absorb them all, and then casually walked out after breaking through to the innate realm.

Was there really such a thing as fate being this biased?

"Zora, your luck is unbelievable!" Reesa exclaimed, unable to hide her admiration.

"I barely gained anything from this ruin," she added with a sigh. "I even thought the rumors about ancient ruins were exaggerated. Now that I’ve seen you, I finally believe they’re truly worthy of their reputation."

Zora curved her lips into a faint smile. The harvest from this trip had been far from small.

With her strength greatly improved, many things would become far easier to handle in the future. When cultivation was low, even the simplest matters often felt restrictive. Now, at last, she had the capital to act more freely.

Marcus and the others exchanged helpless looks filled with envy as they walked over. Luck like Zora’s truly belonged to her alone.

Comparisons really could kill.

Everyone’s talents were decent, yet their lives and fortunes differed vastly. This time, entering the ancient ruins together only made the gap between individuals painfully obvious.

Raphael’s gaze lingered on Zora, complex emotions flickering in his eyes.

When he had first met her, he hadn’t sensed much of a distance between them but still he is in a position to protect her. Who would have thought that, after such a short time, the gap would widen to this extent to the point that he couldn’t even catch up to her?

Perhaps, from the very beginning, his feelings had been misplaced. Prince Kael was the one who truly stood beside her.

In barely two and a half months, Zora’s cultivation had already surpassed his, while Prince Kael remained at her side, steady and unwavering.

"Reesa," Zora asked gently, curiosity in her eyes, "what kind of gains did you make during this half month in the ruins?"

After being trapped in the stone chamber right after breaking free from the illusion, she had been completely cut off from what happened afterward.

What reassured her most was that everyone was still alive. Though there were injuries, none were serious.

Reesa shook her head, then let out a long sigh. "Don’t even mention it. That strange road earlier trapped me for ages. If I hadn’t gotten lucky, I might still be stuck in there."

She grimaced as she recalled it. "That was when I truly realized how terrifying the methods of ancient experts could be. Everything felt unbelievably real. I honestly thought I was walking the same path over and over."

"By the time I got out, most people had already come through. I wandered around a bit, but since I was so late, all the good stuff had already been taken. There was nothing left for me to pick up."

Reesa shrugged, forcing a grin. "At least I didn’t lose my life. That alone is worth celebrating."

Zora chuckled softly. "That wasn’t just a strange road. It was an illusion."

"Eh? An illusion?"